


Stolen

by Dmarie1985



Category: Actor RPF, Josh Hutcherson - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Stolen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-31
Updated: 2013-03-15
Packaged: 2017-11-27 16:50:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 82,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmarie1985/pseuds/Dmarie1985
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Pay attention to the dates, especially in the beginning of the story, it jumps around a lot from past to present.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Like a breath of fresh air

**Author's Note:**

> Pay attention to the dates, especially in the beginning of the story, it jumps around a lot from past to present.

**Rachael: March 13, 2014**

There I was, stuck in the same hotel which was becoming like a second home to me. Every month, my company sent me on a plane to endure the 5 hour flight from Cincinnati to Los Angeles for a half-day meeting that frankly, could be done over the phone. Didn't they know that the economy is shot to hell? Haven't they ever heard of Skype?

Maybe I was pissy because it was almost that time of the month and PMS tuned me into a worse version of Mr. Hyde, or maybe, just maybe because my so-called fiancee broke the news that he actually wasn't ready to get married yet and that he "needed his space" a week prior to my trip to LA. It was 2 months before the big day, the invitations had gone out, everything was paid for, my dress had just gotten back from the tailor and he had the audacity to drop the bomb on me. Great timing, Sam!

When the meeting finally paused for lunch, I called the one person I knew in LA who made me feel normal in every sense of the word, Joshy Hutcherson. Not seeing or hearing from him in months, it was like a breath of fresh air hearing him say my name.

 

**Josh: March 13, 2014**

“Lanchen, I gotta get up, that’s my phone! Come on, babe! Stop!” I gave her a quick kiss and pushed her off and ran to the kitchen to grab my phone. I smiled when I saw the name Rachel Wallace on the screen along with picture I had of her stored with her contact info. I stole it from her Facebook profile when she was ballsy enough to post a picture of herself when she was 8 or 9. She wore an oversized kitten t-shirt, mom jeans and looked like a child of Satan. If she ever got a hold of my phone and saw it, she’d throw it at me for sure. I pressed the answer button.

"RACHAEL WALLACE, where the hell have you been all my life?"  
"Funny, I should ask you the same thing, Hutcherson." She sounded like my mother, only my mom would have called me Joshua Ryan. Lanchen mouthed for me to tell her hello.

"Haha oh come on the life of a movie star is a busy one. You know I'm getting ready for Mockingjay stuff. By the way, Lanchen wanted me to tell you hello.”  
  
I heard Rachael let out a heavy sigh on the other end. “Ugh you guys are doing this again? What is this like the 3rd time you’ve gotten back together?”

“She said hi back!” I pointed to the phone and told Lanchen who was sitting on the couch in the living room looking at her phone. “It’s different this time, I swear.” I whispered.  
  
"Yeah, we’ll see. So thanks for leaving me hanging the last 2 times I was out here, asshole. I called and texted you but there was no answer. I can’t believe you’d leave your dear old, loving friend out in the dirt to rot. I see where your true feelings lie, Joshua." Ouch, way to stab me in the heart, Rach.  
  
"I didn't know you even had time to hang out, ya know, with all your.....wedding planning." My mom told me a few days ago that her douchebag fiance, Sam, who I never really cared for anyway, called the wedding off.

  
“So I'm guessing you spoke to your mother?" She let out a sigh.  
"Yeah," I breathed into the receiver, "I talked to her a few days ago and she told me what happened. Are you ok?"  
"I'll be alright, in time. He's moving his shit out while I'm gone so I don't have to see him. My dad's taking care of the wedding stuff."  
“Well, time heals all wounds.” I was awful at finding the right words to say in situations like this.

"Yeah, so does alcohol. Listen, I'm here for the rest of the afternoon, but what are you up to later? Can we go get a drink, Mr. 21?"  
"We can hang out here. I had a little paparazzi run-in last night and don’t really feel like going out. The guys said they’d be coming by too. I’m sure they’d love to see you.”  
"Ahhh, the guys. How are Avan and Andre these days?"  
"They're doing good. I'll have Andre swing by and pick you up on his way over, because I assume you don't have a car, right?"  
"Josh, the airport shuttle driver practically knows my whole life story. You know I never rent a car. Just make sure your bar is fully stocked, ok? I gotta get back inside."  
"Alright, later Rach."

  
  
**Rachael: May 4, 1996**  
  
“Here, honey hold these, we have to leave soon.” My mom handed me a plate of freshly baked cookies that I just wanted to devour myself but she told me that they were for the new neighbors down the street and that I couldn’t touch them. We walked the 2 blocks down the road, passing a few neighbors mowing their lawns and planting flowers. Every time we had new neighbors we hurried up and baked something and introduced ourselves. Needless to say, everyone in the neighborhood knew me.  
  
“Hi, welcome to the neighborhood! I’m Donna Wallace!” My mom just waltzed up to a blonde woman who was walking outside to the moving truck.  
The woman wiped her hands on her jeans and shook my mom’s hand. “Hi, so nice to meet you, I’m Michelle Hutcherson.” She looked over at a man who was in the garage.  
  
“That’s my husband Chris.” He waved over at us. “And....where are they?” She looked around the front lawn and spotted 2 young boys, wrestling on the ground. “Hey! Boys, come over here!” They picked themselves up and the older one chased the younger over to us. “These are my boys, Josh,” she patted the older one’s head. “and Connor, he just turned 2.” Connor hid behind his mom’s leg.  
  
“Hi Connor!” I handed my mom the plate of cookies and bent down to introduce myself to the toddler.  
  
“Hi!” He held his hand up to wave and went back behind his mom. Josh smiled at me, then bashfully ran away.  
  
“Aww they’re so cute! I’m Rachael.” I shook Michelle’s hand.  
  
“They’re going to be little heartbreakers someday!” My mom laughed. If she only knew how right she was.


	2. The devil in a sundress returns

**Rachael: March 13, 2014:**

I sent Andre a text after I changed out of my “business casual” apparel and into something a little more comfortable for LA weather.

 _Me: Hey stranger ;)_  
Andre: Hey hot stuff, what color are your panties? :p  
Me: I’ll let you know when you come pick me up. I just got out of my meeting.  
Andre: K, I’m leaving the office soon - Sheraton, right?  
Me: As always! 

Andre was always such a little shit, but I loved him. He was one of my closest guy friends and always joked about how I’d turn him straight someday. He pulled up outside of the hotel a half hour later and I was starving.

“The devil in a sundress returns. What are you all dolled up for, beautiful?” He asked when I got in and gave me a peck on the cheek.  
“I’m not dolled up. Is this dolled up?” I smoothed out my navy blue dress “It’s like 1,000 degrees out. I wanted to be comfortable! I’m not used to this LA heat!” I buckled my seatbelt and pulled out my phone, summoning Siri. “Where’s the nearest Chinese take out restaurant?”  
“Great plan! I’m starving!” Said Andre as he pulled out of the parking lot. Siri pulled up a few take out places and we went to one close to Josh’s house. I texted Josh on the way to see if he wanted anything.

 _Me: On our way, making a pit stop for Chinese. Want anything?_  
Josh: General Tso’s Chicken. Extra soy sauce.  
Me: Yeah, I remember...does the Mrs. want anything?  
Josh: She left.  
Josh: Just get here ASAP, I miss your face!  
Me: CALM YOUR TITS JOSHUA! 

“Oh thank God!” I exclaimed when I saw his reply.  
“What are you so excited about?”  
“Lanchen left. I guess she was there earlier.”  
“They were fighting last night. I’m surprised she was over there.”  
“Ugh, I can’t look at her after what she did to him. He’s like family to me, I don’t deal well with people who treat my friends like garbage, especially Josh. He’s so fragile when it comes to girls.”  
“She’s really manipulative. You know she’s the reason he hasn’t been home in a while, right?”  
“Oh, yeah, I’m not surprised! It happens all the time. Josh gets a girlfriend and he doesn’t come home for months, then boom, as soon as the relationship is over, he hops on a plane, stays in Union for a week or two then when he’s all better and forgets about her, he goes back to LA. Never fails.”

**Josh: May 21, 2008**

“Mom, I don’t care about her fucking graduation party. I don’t want to see anyone. I need to be alone for a few days. Can you just give me like 2 days to myself, please?” I sat crossing my arms and staring out the window, watching the clouds pass us by. My mom was going on and on about what she had to get done to help out with Rachel Wallace’s graduation party.  
“You know, you really need to watch your language, Joshua, we’re in public.” She shook her head, turning the page of her magazine.

“I don’t care, mom.” I closed my eyes and leaned my head up against the window. I couldn’t believe Shannon had the nerve to go and screw some other guy. After I told her I loved her, too. I felt like a wasted piece of nothing and just wanted to crawl into a cave to wait out the rest of my miserable days on Earth.

There was no one else in the world who mattered to me more than her, and the fact that she wasn’t mine anymore killed me. I couldn’t hold her or kiss her or even call her because she wanted nothing to do with me. I wanted to beat the shit out of the other guy, she told me his name was Tony and I swore if I ever saw him with her, he’d get a black eye.

 _“Welcome to Cincinnati, ladies and gentlemen, where the current time is 2:36 pm and the temperature is 72 degrees. If this is your final destination, we hope you have enjoyed your time flying with us here on JetBlue.”_ The flight attendant’s voice was like nails piercing into my eardrums. I blocked out the sound with my headphones, blaring “Don’t Want You Back.” By Eamon.

We got to our house in Union and I went straight to my room down in the basement. I wanted no human contact of any form.

 

**Rachael: May 24th, 2008**

“Thanks for coming, guys!” I greeted my two friends from school, Alex and Rob. “Beer is that way, pool is this way. Food will be ready shortly!” I waved them off and jumped back into the pool and kept chatting with my aunt and cousins who were in town.

“So, what’s next now that you’re in the real world?” My 15 year old cousin Ashley asked.  
“Um well, I found a cute apartment and I’ll be moving in a couple months.”  
“Do you have a job lined up? Because you know I might have some connections.” My aunt Sheila asked, peering over her sunglasses at me.  
“Yup, actually I’m going to be working where I did my internship, so I’m all set there.” I looked past them and saw the Hutchersons greet my dad who was manning the grill and say hi to a few family members they knew.

I climbed out of the pool when I saw Michelle walking over.  
“Hey! I’m so glad you guys came! Sorry I’m wet!” I gave her a semi-hug and grabbed a towel to dry off. She handed me the gift bag she was holding. “Congratulations, sweetie!” She leaned in close, putting her hand on my shoulder and whispered, “I know Donna would be so proud of you if she were here!”  
Her comment made me tear up a little so I changed the subject. “Michelle, you didn’t have to get me anything, really! Thank you so much!”  
“That’s from all of us, don’t open it til later, ok?”  
“Yes, ma’am!” I set the bag on the gift table and looked across the lawn to the Hutcherson men who were talking to my uncle Bob. “Hey, what’s he doing here? I thought he wasn’t going to make it.” I nodded in Josh’s direction.  
“Oh...yeah. He’ll be home the next few days, probably closer to a week actually. He and Shannon, well...It wasn’t pretty. He just needs some time at home. He’s been cooped up in his room the last couple days.”  
“Awww poor Josh! I’m gonna go say hi.”

I grabbed my tank top and waved at Chris and Connor, whom I just saw the day before.  
“What’s up Josh?” I asked with a smile, putting my tank top back on.  
“Nothing.” His face was expressionless and didn’t look me in the eye.  
His dad ran his finger under his neck, gesturing for me not to ask. Josh was an impossible person when he was angry. I knew exactly what he needed. The bridge.


	3. You're going to find some lucky girl

**Josh: May 24th, 2008**

My mom darted to the pool when she saw that Rachael was in it. I was finally ready to be out in public, but still really didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I figured I’d stop by, eat a burger and retreat to my dungeon in the basement. My eyes scanned around the party and I nodded to the people I recognized. Then I glanced over to where my mom was standing and it was as if the 5 seconds it took Rachael to climb out of the pool took an eternity. I swallowed hard, not letting my mouth gape open at the sight before me.

This was the first time I actually noticed how beautiful she was. I always had a little thing for her because she was this older girl who was always around me growing up, but I never saw her in that light before. Here I was, a heartbroken 15 year old who was starting to fall for the 22 year girl who knew him inside and out.

I just about lost it when she walked over to my brother, Dad and I. Even with my sunglasses on, she’d know what I was thinking if I looked at her at all.  
“What’s up Josh?” She asked as she was slipping a tank top over her amazing looking chest.  
“Nothing.” _Look down, Josh. Look down._  
She grabbed my forearm and started pulling me away. “Ok, come with me.” She said something to her dad and led me to the street.

“Rachael, where are you taking me?”  
“You obviously need to talk. You know where we’re going.” She let go of my arm when we got down the road. _Fuck, the bridge._  
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I scowled, crossing my arms. I wasn’t spilling any details to her. She had a way of breaking me down and I hated that about her. She could get me to tell her anything. I wasn’t about to crumble. We walked silently to the edge of our street, stopping when we got to the bridge that ran over the creek next to the woods.

**Rachael: May 24th, 2008**  
I sat down on the hot wood and patted the empty space next to me. “Sit.” I instructed. Josh looked around and rolled his eyes before joining me. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to, but I’ll listen if you want to say something, ok?” I looked at him as he stared at the water beneath our feet.

We were both silent for a little while. I was just starting to think about my new apartment and the things I had to buy for it when he broke down. His head hit his hands and he began to sob. “I just don’t understand, what did I do wrong?” I rubbed his back as he continued. “Am I such a horrible person? I mean, I did nothing wrong to her! She didn’t even apologize for sleeping with him!” He picked up a stone that was sitting on the bridge and chucked it into the water before lowering his head again.

“I know you’re hurting right now, Josh.” I put my head on his shoulder and kept rubbing his back. “In time, you’ll see that what she did doesn’t matter. Because someday, you’re going to find some lucky girl and everyone you were with before her won’t matter at all.”

**Rachael: March 13, 2014**  
I jumped up and down like I was about to pee my pants while waiting for Josh to answer his door.  
“Calm down, you’re a mess! Look at you!” Laughed Andre.  
“Sorry! It’s been so long since I’ve been here! And I’ve missed my dog!” I called Driver my dog because I helped Josh pick him out at the animal shelter. Josh came to the door a minute later with a smile as wide as Kim Kardashian’s ass. “Hey, sorry, had to put the beast in the kitchen.”  
“It’s ok, I’m gonna go put this stuff down.” Andre pushed past Josh who was standing in the doorway. “Get over here, Wallace!” Josh stretched his arms out which I willingly entered. It had been forever since I felt those arms hugging me. With my face buried into his neck, I could tell that he had just showered.

I stepped back to observe his appearance. “You look good, Hutcherson. Last time I saw you, you were a blonde. I like this look.” I ruffled up the hair on his head and patted his chest. “Ugh, but what are we, in Canada? Are you planning on chopping down some trees your backyard, lumberjack Josh?” I tugged at his flannel shirt.

“I knew you’d say something, always judging me, Rach.” He shook his head and like in a scene from Magic Mike, he stripped off the shirt, revealing a muscle hugging white v-neck underneath. _Why am I staring? This is so wrong!_ I shook my head and followed the smell of the sweet and sour chicken calling my name into the kitchen.


	4. Honeysuckle perfume, Dove shampoo and lilac soap

**Josh: March 13, 2014**  
The sound of the doorbell jarred me from my pissed off state after fighting, yet again, with Lanchen. “Hang on!” I yelled to the door, guessing they didn’t hear me over the sound of Driver barking. “Come on boy, in the kitchen!” I led Driver into his crate, pet him on the head and ran for the door.

I did a quick check in the mirror to make sure I looked alright. _This looks ok, I guess. Not like I’m trying too hard or anything. Although she might laugh at my flannel shirt and call me Al from Home Improvement. Fuck it. I just need to see her._

I opened the door and couldn’t help but smile when I saw Rachael. She looked stunning, as usual, and hungry. “Hey, sorry, had to put the beast in the kitchen.”  
“It’s ok, I’m gonna go put this stuff down.” Andre brought the food which smelled delicious inside. Rachael smiled up at me and I thought I might die.

I opened my arms for a hug. “Get over here, Wallace!” She wasted no time almost knocking me over and wrapped her arms around my neck. My hands stroked the soft skin on her bare shoulders and I breathed in her scent - honeysuckle perfume, Dove shampoo and lilac soap. A concoction of smells I had become accustomed to over the years that didn’t start to intoxicate me until 5 years ago.

**Rachael: July 14, 2009**

Josh texted me at work in the afternoon and I thought I was seeing things. I hadn’t heard from him in a while, especially since he started dating Victoria. I met her at his 16th birthday party and she seemed like a sweet girl, but I wasn’t sure how long they were going to last. She kind of seemed like a flake.

_Josh: Hey, I’m home  
Me: Right now??? When did you get here?  
Josh: This morning.  
Me: Did Victoria come with you?  
Josh: No, we’re done. Where r u? I want to show you something!  
Me: Work. What is it?  
Josh: It’s a surprise :)  
Me: Oh Jesus, I’m afraid to ask. I’m really busy. I’ll stop by your parents house after work._

I stopped at Chris and Michelle’s house on my way home from work to see what Josh’s ‘surprise’ was. I just about shit myself when I saw Josh sitting on a brand new bike - I don’t mean bicycle, but a real motorcycle in the driveway.

“When did you get this?” I wondered as I got out of the car.  
“Today! When I got here! I’ve been talking to this guy in Cincinnati who was selling it online and got it for practically nothing! Now I have something to ride while I’m home. You like it?”  
“Yeah it’s great. Where’s your mother? She’s ok with her first born purchasing a motorcycle before he’s old enough to vote?”

“Yes! She’s fine!” He laughed. “She AND Amanda went for rides already! Now it’s your turn, hop on!” He slapped the seat behind where he was sitting.  
“No way, Josh, you’re not getting me on that thing!”  
“Come on! Just a slow ride around the neighborhood, I promise!” He smiled sweetly. Little asshole!

**Josh: July 14, 2009**

“Ugh fine!” She sighed as I handed her a helmet. She put her purse down in the garage and hopped on behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders.  
“You have to hang on down here so I can steer.” I moved her hands to my waist, causing the crotch of my pants to get tight. I could smell her honeysuckle perfume when she put her arms around me and I had to shake my head to regain my focus. She jumped and held on tighter when I started the bike.

“Don’t chicken out like you did that time on the roller coaster at King’s Island!” I yelled back to her over the hum of the bike.  
“Do you have to bring that up? I didn’t know it went upside down, ok? Just go you jerk!” She smacked my leg and I backed out of the driveway.

 

**Rachael: March 13, 2014**

“Where’s my boy?” I exclaimed when I got into Josh’s kitchen. Driver was whipping his tail on the walls of his crate so I let him out and he immediately jumped on me. “Oh hello lovey! I missed you too! Have you been a good boy?”  
Josh laughed at me. “You’re so lame. You and that dog, I swear.”  
“What? I love this little beast!” I scratched Driver on the head and stood up, focusing all my attention to my dinner.

“Rach, you want a drink?” Asked Andre who was peering through the bottles of liquor behind the bar in Josh’s kitchen after we ate.  
“Oh God yes! What goes good with Chinese food? I don’t want to be sick later.” I said rubbing my full stomach.  
“Maybe you should just stick to beer then. We don’t want a repeat of your 21st birthday.” Josh went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Bud Light. “Here you go.” He set it down on the island in the center of the room.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. My 21st birthday was like the best night of my life!” I replied and I twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig.  
“Yeah, I’m sure the 20 minutes you can actually remember from that night were fabulous!”


	5. Excuse me is your dance card full?

**Josh: March 13, 2014**  
  
Rachael looked at her phone when it beeped for a text message from ESPN. “Shit, shit, shit! The game! Why aren’t we watching? They’re down by 6!” She might have been a bigger UK fan than I was, so she hurried to my living room, plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.  
  
“Go, go, get the ball motherfucker!” She yelled at the screen then looked at me when she saw that I was laughing at her. “What the hell is so funny? They’re blowing this, you should be pissed too!”  
I had to set my beer bottle down on the table because I was laughing so hard. “Nothing, you’re so adorable when you’re mad.”  
  
“Fuck off Hutcherson!” She replied giving me the finger. She grabbed a seat next to me on the big couch when a commercial came on and propped her feet up on the coffee table.  
“What color is that?” I asked looking at her painted toenails.  
“I think it’s called purple passion fruit or something. I don’t pay attention to the names.”  
“Oh, very lovely. So...” I slapped her left knee, holding my hand there for a second to feel the soft skin on it.  
“So....what?” She questioned.  
I turned to face her and crossed my legs in front of me. “Are you doing ok? With the whole Sam thing?”  
She furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged. “I don’t know, Josh. I know I’ll be ok eventually. I guess I’m still kind of in shock so I’m not really sad yet. It will probably hit me when I get home and see all his stuff gone.”  
“Well to be perfectly honest, I never really cared for him.” I leaned back and put my feet on her lap.  
“Yeah I’ve always known deep down you didn’t really like him from the second you met him.” She replied, putting her hands over my ankles.  
  
I never hated anyone more than I hated Sam Worthington. Uptight yuppie scum who looked at me like I was bacteria the first time we met. I never had the balls to tell Rachael about his 2 other women on the side. I guess I was always afraid that she wouldn’t believe me and call me a liar and swear never to talk to me again, I couldn’t handle not having her around, so I kept my mouth shut.  
  
The game came back on, and just as UK was catching up, the buzzer at my front gate rang. I got up to answer, figuring it was Avan who was on his way from an SBNN meeting, but I was dead wrong.  
“Yeah?” I asked on the intercom.  
“Baby? It’s me! I’m so sorry about earlier! Can I come in? I made you cookies!” I winced at the sound of her voice pouring into my foyer.  
“Yeah, come on up.” I pressed the button to unlock the gate. _Fucking wonderful._  
  
 **Rachael: May 26, 2012**  
  
I don’t know why I was so nervous, I wasn’t the one getting married. I was just a measly bridesmaid. All 200 eyes would be on Christina in a minute, no worries. I took my position at the end of the aisle with my bouquet in hand, smoothed out my coral dress and waited patiently for the user to direct me into the church.  
  
“Ok, Rachael on the count of one, two, and go.” Jake’s uncle motioned for the aisle. I took a deep breath as I caught a glimpse at the many unfamiliar faces in the pews. My eyes darted to the minister, to Jack, and to his groomsmen standing up in a line, resembling penguins in their tuxes. As I began my saunter down the aisle, my only focus was on Josh who was standing next to the best man. I’d never seen him look so handsome and grown up. He let out a breath and licked his lips before giving me an reassuring smile as I continued down the aisle.  
  
 **Josh: May 26, 2012**  
  
“If I wasn’t married, man, I swear.” Adam, the best man whispered to me as Rachel took her position at the end of the aisle. I felt a cold sweat hit my body when she began walking in the direction of the alter. I had to take a few deep breaths because I’m pretty sure my heart stopped when she looked at me. I’d never seen her look so beautiful before.  
  
I was lucky enough to be the one that got to escort her back up the aisle when the ceremony ended. After Christina and Jack marched up the aisle, Adam and the maid of honor linked arms, stepping down from the platform. Then it was our turn. I offered my arm like a gentleman which she looped her own arm around. We smiled at the guests clapping at us as we took steady steps to the foyer of the church.  
  
As we neared the end of the aisle, I whispered to her, “You know Rach, you’re not supposed to come to a wedding and look better than the bride.”  
“Oh stop it, Josh.” She smiled, giving me a gentle shove when we got out of the church.  
“What? You look stunning. Just save me a dance at the reception, ok?”  
  
 **Rachael: May 26, 2012**  
  
“Alright we’re gonna slow things down a little.” The DJ announced as the Cha Cha Slide ended and Dancing Away With My Heart by Lady Antebellum began. I decided to sit it out and headed back to the bridesmaids table and took a sip of water. “Excuse me is your dance card full?” I heard from behind me. I turned around and smiled when I saw Josh standing there with his hand out. “Not that I know of, mister big time movie star. Let’s go.”  
  
I took his hand and followed him onto the dimly lit dance floor. I watched Jack and Christina sing to each other while they danced. “They’re cute.” I smiled, looking back at Josh who was holding my right hand up. His other hand was around my waist and I couldn’t help but get butterflies every time his fingers moved against my dress. I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as we swayed to the music. He pushed away the hair that was resting on my shoulder. “You never wear your hair down.”  
I lifted my head up. “Yeah I know. I’m dying to put it up!”  
“You shouldn’t. It looks really nice.” He fluffed up some of the curly tendrils on the back of my head.  
“Thanks Josh.” I smiled.  
“So who’s the guy stealing your heart these days?”  
I smiled at the thought of the new guy I just started seeing. “His name is Sam.”  
“Uh-huh and where’s he this evening - letting his girlfriend get swept off her feet by younger, handsome guys like myself?”  
“He’s working late. But he’ll be picking me up later so you’ll get to meet him.”  
“Gee, can’t wait.” He said sarcastically.  
  
I knew Josh wasn’t too fond of the guys I dated, like Rick who cheated on me in college with his best friend from back home, or mama’s boy Andy, or Kevin who turned out to be a stage 4 clinger. But I knew Sam was a good guy, I knew him for a while and we had just started dating so everything was really new and exciting.  
  
The song ended and I gave Josh a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for the dance.”


	6. The one and only Peeta Mellark

**Josh: May 26, 2012**

Most of the guests were gone and the members of the wedding party all pitched in to clean up the reception hall. Jack came over to me as I was collecting centerpieces from the tables. “Go get Rach, we’re going out back to celebrate.” Jack pulled a couple joints out of his pocket and quickly stuffed them back in. His new wife was standing by the kitchen and gave me a thumbs up when I looked at her.

“Where’d you score those?” I looked back at his pocket.  
“I went to college with one of the guys who works in the kitchen here. He gave them to me earlier when he came out and said we could sneak through the kitchen if we wanted to go out back and smoke them later.”  
“Awesome! I’ll go get her.” I set the couple vases of flowers I was carrying on a nearby table and tapped Rachael on the shoulder, interrupting her conversation with one of Christina’s friends. “Can I steal you for a minute?”

“Sure.” She tossed the bags of jordan almonds she was holding into a box and stepped in my direction. “What’s up?”  
I nodded towards the kitchen where Christina and Jack were standing. “We’re going out back.” I pressed my thumb and index finger together and held them up to my mouth. She smiled and bit her bottom lip when she got the hint.

**Rachael: May 26, 2012**

We made our way through the now empty kitchen and propped open the back door so we could get back in. After gathering behind the dumpster, Jack handed a joint to me and Christina. I put the paper between my lips and Josh pulled a lighter out of his pocket. “Ladies first.” He smiled and lit me up. I I took a nice long drag, letting the smoke fill up my lungs and exhaled a cloud into the air above my head. After another hit, I handed it to Josh.

We stood around talking about the wedding and the new couple’s plans to build a house in the next few months and their upcoming honeymoon to Anguilla.

I took one more drag before passing the joint off to Josh. “Man, I’d love to visit the Caribbean, I’m so jealous!”  
“You should have your awesome new boyfriend take you sometime.” Josh replied before taking his last hit and snuffing out the joint on the side of the dumpster.

I rolled my eyes at the way Josh stretched the word ‘boyfriend’. “Maybe I will. We can sip on expensive champagne as we walk hand in hand along the moonlit beach at night. Ahhh.” I sighed, looking dramatically at the sky, envisioning such a romantic moment and started to feel the effects from the weed.  
“Ugh, gag me.” Josh rolled his eyes.  
“You aren’t the most romantic person in the world are you, Josh?” I asked as we walked back into the building.  
“Not in the slightest. I’ve tried to be romantic in the past but it gets me nowhere. I’ve decided to be a cold, hard asshole from here on out.”  
“Wow.” I laughed. “God bless your next girlfriend.”

We walked back into the reception hall and went back to gathering the last of the leftover favors and centerpieces. I bent down to snap a tote box shut when I heard “Wow, you are a vision in that dress if I do say so myself.” I stood up and spun around to see Sam standing there.  
“Hey babe! How was work?” I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
“It was alright. I’d rather be here with you though. What’s that smell? Smells like pot.” He looked around sniffing and got closer to me. “Is that you?”

“Oh, yeah.” I looked bashfully down at the floor. “I promise I don’t do it on a regular basis, though. It was just this once to celebrate. I actually haven’t done it since I was in college.”  
He looked wearily at me. “Are you sure? You’re not a stoner are you?”  
“Yeah, I’m like totally baked, man.” I said in a stoner voice, playfully shoving him. He laughed and pushed back a few strands of hair that were in my face. “You should pull your hair back, it hides your pretty face.”

“Yeah I had to wear it down for the whole day, I desperately need to put it up!” I dug through my clutch, pulled out a hair tie and pulled my curly waves into a low ponytail. “Ahh, that’s so much better!” I grabbed Sam by the hand. “Come on, I want you to meet some people.”

**Josh: May 26, 2012**

The pot had a bigger effect on me than I expected. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I didn’t eat much, or maybe it was a combination of that and the all the shots I was doing with this older girl that I met, Allie. She stayed for a while after most of the guests left to hang out with some of the wedding party while we cleaned up. She and I had been talking and dancing for most of the night.

My head was feeling fuzzy so I sat up on one of the empty tables. Allie came over and stood in between my legs and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed my cheek a few times. “So are you coming back to my hotel tonight, or what?” She asked with a seductive smile.  
“Oh you know I am!” I replied and put my hands on her hips.  
“Good, because you’re in so much trouble, you have no idea what I’m gonna do to you!”  
“I’m looking forward to finding out!” I pulled her in close for a hug and noticed Rachael out of the corner of my eye.

She was pulling some guy by the arm towards us. I squinted to get a better look at her. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail and she had kicked her heels off, making her a couple inches shorter than me.  
“Sorry to interrupt, guys!” She exclaimed as she got up to the table.  
“Oh it’s ok!” Allie spun around and sat on the table next to me.  
Rachael smiled at us. “Sam, I want you to meet someone, this is Josh Hutcherson and I’m sorry I don’t think we met.” She stuck her hand out to shake Allie’s.  
“Allie LeBlanc. Didn’t we go to highschool together?.” Allie smiled politely.  
“Uh, yeah I think so. This is my boyfriend Sam.” She put her hand on his chest to introduce him.

I stood up off the table and shook his outstretched hand. “Pleasure.”  
He turned his nose up at me like he was God’s gift. “Likewise. Hey, hun, wasn’t he in that Hunger Games movie we saw a little while back?” He asked, pointing at me.  
“Yes, that’s him! The one and only Peeta Mellark!” She smiled at him and proudly patted my shoulder.  
Sam nodded, realizing who I was. “Right, right, right, Peter. Great flick, man!”  
Rachael covered up her face to hide her laugh and shook her head.  
“Thanks.” I responded with a light chuckle.  
“Ok, we better get out of here. I need food!” She said rubbing her stomach and mouthed to me that she had to munchies already. She gave me a hug goodbye and whispered, “Behave yourself tonight Hutcherson!”  
“I should tell you to do the same, Wallace!”

**Rachael: March 13, 2014**

I tried to hide the scour that crept onto my face with a ridiculous smile when I saw Lanchin step across the threshold into the living room with a giant plate of cookies in her hand.  
“Lanchen! How are you?” I asked in a way too excited manner.

“Oh my God Rachael, come here!” She stretched her arms out and bent down to give me a hug. “I’m so sorry about your wedding!” She whimpered into my ear.  
“Yeah, uh, it’s ok. Thanks.” I gave her a get the fuck off me before I knock your teeth out pat on the back. She sat down beside me on the couch and took my hands.  
“Josh, Andre, could you guys give us a minute here?” She gave them both a death glare and they willingly left the room.


	7. Oops! You didn't see that!

**Rachael: March 13, 2014**  
  
I sucked in a huge amount of oxygen and braced myself for what this girl had to say to me.   
“Listen Rachael , I know the last time we saw each other, we didn’t really end things well.” _Well ain’t that the fuckin truth_. “Look, I’ve known Josh a really long time.”   
  
“And I haven’t?” I interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Ok, that was a pretty bitchy thing to say, but whatever.  
  
“No, no I know you’ve known him like his entire life. I just wanted to tell you that I know you don’t trust me and that’s fine, but I’m ready to change and I’m not going to hurt Josh again, I promise. Things are so different this time around, I swear!” She pleaded, still holding on to my hands. “I know you guys are practically like family and I’ve always looked up to you and when I hurt Josh before I know I hurt you too. I don’t want to do that to someone who is so close to the man I love.” She said with tears spilling over her eyes.  
  
“He was really heartbroken the first time, Lanchen, but I let it go. But the fact that you did it to him twice? That was really shameful.” I replied, pulling my hands away from her scrawny grip. “Don’t hurt him again or things won’t be good between us.”  
  
 **Josh: October 12, 2013**  
  
It took some convincing, but I finally got Rachael to cave in and come to Vegas with my family, Lanchen and I for my 21st birthday. She never really liked Lanchen and the fact that we were back together didn’t make her too happy, but I couldn’t not have here there to celebrate with me.   
  
“I can’t believe you guys are dating again. You must be some kind of crazy. Once a cheater, always a cheater, Josh.” She said as she got her suitcase out of the van at the hotel. _Yeah? I should say the same thing to you about your wonderful fiance, but I’ll keep my mouth shut._  
“Ahh, give her a chance, will you? She apologized, it only happened once. Just forget about it, look at where we are! We’re in Vegas! And I can finally drink without a fake ID!” I shook her shoulders to liven her up a little.  
“Alright, I’ll just get shitfaced and forget that she’s even here, sound good?”  
“Whatever makes you happy, Rach!”   
We headed up to the suite my parents shelled out big bucks for for the weekend and got ready   
for our night out on the town.   
  
The night began well with a champagne and a limo ride down the strip to a nice Japanese restaurant. The conversation over dinner went from talking about the first few times I had been to Vegas, to the upcoming Catching Fire premiere and all the traveling I’d be doing. Then somehow we got to talking about Rachael’s wedding plans, and that’s when it started going downhill. I tried to tune out the sound of her talking about her dress and flower arrangements with my mother by wrapping my arm around Lanchen’s neck and kissing her neck, making her laugh.   
  
“Josh not at the table please.” My mom piped in before turning back to her and Rachael’s conversation about buttercream frosting.   
“Sorry.” I slumped in my chair and did another shot of Sake, trying to forget about the fact that within 6 months or so, Rachael would be a married woman and out of my life forever.   
  
My dad and Connor went to explore some of the under 21 attractions that night and the rest of us went bar hopping. I’m not sure how many birthday shots I did that night, but by 3am, I was completely obliterated. Rachael and Lanchen were left to get my drunk, sorry ass back to the hotel since my mom turned in around midnight.   
  
**Rachael: October 12, 2013**  
  
“I’ve gotta be the luckiest motherfucker in the world right now!” Josh announced to the limo driver after we got settled inside. He put his arms around both of our shoulders, squeezing all three of us together for a big group hug. “I love you guys like you don’t even know. You two are the best!” He gave me a kiss on the cheek and turned to Lanchen and gave her a kiss. “And you....you wait til I get you home later.” _Hurry up limo driver! I can’t be in here with these two._   
  
Thankfully their little makeout session didn’t last long because Josh was out cold within a few minutes. The rest of the ride to the hotel was a silent one. Lanchen and I didn’t say a word to each other all night. She sat on the other side of Josh giggling to her phone, I assumed she was texting back and forth with one of her friends because I kept hearing it ding for new messages.   
  
We finally pulled up to the Bellagio and had to carry Josh out of the limo and up to the room. “Here, I got him.” I said as I slid my arm under Josh’s neck and lifted his head up. “Wakey wakey! Time to get up for school!” I smacked his face a few times in an effort to wake him up. I got no response. “Ok, can you just put your arm under his shoulder and we can get him out that way?” I asked Lanchen.  
  
She put her arm under him and when she lifted up, her phone fell to the floor. I didn’t mean to look, but when something bright is just shining in your face, you can’t help but look at it. She was in the middle of typing a text message to someone named Tomas. It read: I think I might be preg  
  
She saw the shock on my face and quickly picked the phone up and stuffed it into her purse. “Oops! You didn’t see that!” She laughed innocently.  
“Uh, actually, I did see it.”  
“Ok, it’s not what you think...”  
“I’m not having this conversation with you right now. Let’s get Josh inside.”  
  
After getting him out of the limo, Josh came to, but still needed help walking up to the room. Steam was coming out of my ears the whole elevator ride up. I was going to let her have it as soon as we got Josh into bed. “Wow! The room is spinning!” He laughed at the ceiling.   
“Ok, honey, just go to sleep, it will stop soon!” Lanchen was standing in the living room, nervously picking at her fingernails. “Balcony.” I barked at her and she followed me like a 5 year old who was about to get grounded for the first time.  
  
I spoke in a hushed, but stern voice so I wouldn’t wake up Josh’s parents and brother. “Listen to me. I’m not saying a word to anyone about what I saw.” I saw her mouth the word ‘thank you’ as she let out a s sigh of relief. “But so help me God, Lanchen, if what I saw is true and you don’t tell Josh tomorrow, I swear on my mother’s grave I’ll....”  
“It’s not true, ok!” She cried out.  
“What do you mean it’s not fucking true? You don’t make that shit up! Do you know how psychotic you look right now?”  
  
“Tom is a guy I’ve been sort of talking to for the last couple months and he didn’t think it was such a good idea if we kept talking and I like him a lot so I had to think of something to keep him around!” She started crying even harder.  
“Wow! So let me ask you, why the fuck are you with Josh? You already did this to him once before! I told him he was a fucking moron for taking you back, he should have listened to me. It’s amazing how you only come around before he has a movie come out. Gee, I wonder why that is?” I couldn’t help anything that was coming out of my mouth, I let her have it, causing her to cry more.   
  
“Please don’t tell him, please!” She pleaded.  
“I’m not saying a word to him, but you need to tell him because I’m not going to sit around and watch someone who’s like family to me get manipulated by a dirty little whore like you!” I couldn’t stand to be within 5 feet from her, so I went inside, slamming the door behind me and went to bed, angry and heated.


	8. You're like a 2 year old when you drink, you know that?

**Rachael: May 13, 2014**

I got up from the couch, leaving Lanchen in the living room alone and went into the kitchen where Josh and Andre were talking about some SBNN fundraiser they were organizing.  
“Yeah I think that sounds like a really good idea, we can talk to Avan about it when he comes later.” Josh was saying as he stood up from leaning against the counter.

I darted past them to the fridge and pulled out another beer.  
“Hey, what was that about?” Andre asked me, pointing to the living room.  
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even ask.” I sat down on one of the stools surrounding the island and twisted the cap off the bottle. Josh just smiled and shook his head and went back into the living room. 

“Oh Rachael, I’m so sorry I ever hurt Josh! I love you, blah blah blah! Same shit, different year.” I muttered when Josh was out of range. Avan laughed at me and joined me at the counter.   
“You know what we need to do tonight?” He asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.  
“What?”   
“We need to celebrate your freedom girl!” He took my now bare left hand and held it up. “You’re newly single and you look too good to not go anywhere tonight!”

I could use a night out. I hadn’t been out to a bar or club in so long with all the wedding planning and work and Sam wasn’t one who liked the party scene, unless it was some swanky shindig the country club was throwing. My agreement to go caused Andre to stand up and throw his arms around me. 

“Yes! I’m so excited! We’re gonna have so much fun! I’ll see if the two lovebirds want to join us.” Great. He started walking towards the living room but I quickly stopped him.  
“Actually, no, don’t. We should give them some alone time! Why don’t you and me go somewhere!”

We agreed on a new bar that just opened in downtown LA. I hugged Josh and semi-hugged Lanchen goodbye because my flight back home was leaving the next day and I planned on having the cab drop me off at my hotel that night.

“What are you drinking tonight, hun?” The bartender asked me. I peered at the various bottles behind the bar, searching for something that stuck out. Then I saw him, my dear old friend, Captain Morgan. He and I had a love-hate relationship. I loved him and he hated me, then at the end of the night, I usually ended up hating him back. I did all I could to stray away from him, but he found a way to weasel his way into my bloodstream anyhow.

I woke up the next morning, not sure where I was at first, until I saw the giant shoe and baseball hat collection in an open closet on the other side of the room. I sat up in the empty king sized bed I was in and thought about the previous night’s events. _We started off with a few martinis then met some of Andre’s friends and sat around a table with them and did some shots, then what? My mind drew a blank. How did I wind up back at Josh’s and why am I in his clothes? And FUCK, what time is it? I’m going to miss my plane!_

I scurried out of the bed and ran out of the room in search for my belongings. I had a couple hours to spare before I had to be at the airport and I still had to go to my hotel and get the rest of my stuff. I waved to Avan who was in the living room on his iPad. Josh was in the kitchen drinking something from a Starbucks cup and laughed when he saw my frantic state. 

**Josh: March 14, 2014**

Rachael was a mess when she ran into the kitchen as I took the last few sips of my latte. I couldn’t help but laugh at her appearance. Her hair fell every which way, mascara was smeared under her eyes and I’ll never forget how sexy she looked in my old gym shorts and oversized t-shirt.

“Well, good morning sunshine! Sleep well?” I slid a Starbucks cup on the counter for her.  
“I gotta get out of here! Where’s my stuff? I need to get back to my hotel!”   
“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. Sit.” I pointed to the kitchen table.  
“What? No! Josh, I have to go my plane leaves at 1!”  
“Uh no, it doesn’t. Because you called the airline and cancelled your flight last night. You were going on and on about seeing the pandas at the San Diego Zoo because you were watching this show about them on National Geographic last week and you just HAD to see them.”  
“Oh my God, no that didn’t happen, you’re making that up!” She sat down at the table.

“So in order to get you to shut up about the damn pandas, I told you that I’d take you sometime and I kept trying to get you to go to sleep, but you kept arguing that you weren’t going to live unless you saw the pandas soon. So you got out your phone at like 3am and called the airline and moved your flight to Sunday morning.”

Her head was on the table and she was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out of her. Her shoulders were moving up and down so fast that I would have thought she was having a seizure if I didn’t know she was laughing. When her laughing subsided, she rubbed her eyes and got up from the table in search of her purse. “I’m gonna kill you for not making me take my contacts out last night.” 

“You wouldn’t listen to me. I told you three times to take them out but you just argued with me, so I said ‘forget it’. You’re like a 2 year old when you drink, you know that?”  
“I’m sorry! Blame it on the Captain!” She flung her purse onto the kitchen table and proceeded to take her contacts out.   
“Ugh, you know, people eat at that table. You have to do that here?”  
“What? The lighting is better out here! Calm down!” She said as she held her eyelid open.

She pushed her glasses onto her face and joined me at the counter where I was whipping up some eggs and green peppers with sausage. “Mmm smells good!” She exclaimed, looking over my shoulder before grabbing her coffee from the counter.   
“Yeah, you need to eat. You threw up a lot last night.” I replied, dumping the green peppers in with the eggs in the pan.

“I did? Wait so can you fill me in on what exactly happened last night? All I can remember is doing shots with Andre’s friends and then I don’t know what happened.”  
“Well, uh, long story short, you guys called me at 2am because the cab driver let you out on West 8th Street because you were both yelling at him for not going through the drive thru at Taco Bell. So I had to haul my ass all the way downtown to pick you guys up. And I couldn't let you sleep in your hotel by yourself because you didn’t even know which way was up, so I brought you both to my house."

"Aww Josh I'm so sorry! Thank you for coming to get us so late! Where is Andre anyway?" She asked, looking around.  
"In the spare room. He wasn't as bad as you. And I was still up because Lanchen and I were fighting again."  
"What else is new?" She blurted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."  
"No its ok." I scraped the eggs onto a plate and went to the toaster to wait for her toast to finish.  
"So who got the duty of changing me?" She asked, pulling at the Cincinnati Reds shirt she was wearing.

I smiled thinking about the way she looked in her bra and panties when I had to take her dress off. _So wrong._ "Well, you threw up in the driveway when we got to my house. So there's dried Chalupa all over down there that I need to hose off later. And you got a little on your dress and I wasn't about to let you sleep in my bed with puke on your clothes, so I had to change you myself because Andre was already out cold."

The toaster dinged and I took it out and spread butter on it. "And you fought with me the whole time because you said you could do it yourself, but you only were able to take one shoe off so I had to do the rest."  
"Oh." She looked down at the plate I set in front of her and blushed. "So you slept on your couch, I take it?" She picked up her fork and took a bite.  
"No I slept in my bed." I answered, putting the pan in the sink and filling it with water. I stared out the window watching Driver chew on a stick he found in the yard, thinking about the way she looked laying next to me that morning. I never wanted something so bad in my life.


	9. Did you add on to your tattoo?

**Rachael: May 14, 2014**

“What’s up, Avan?”I asked when I walked in the living room.  
He looked up from his iPad and gave me a high five “Hey, you’re alive!”  
“Yup. Just barely.” I joined him on the couch while I waited for Josh to shower. “What are you working on?”  
“Oh just this fundraiser we’re doing in a few weeks for SBNN. I have to approve these designs and send them to Heather before 12.” He answered, not taking his eyes off his iPad.  
“How is Heather doing these days? I should get together with her while I’m in town.” I put my feet up on the couch and flipped on the TV to look for highlights from the UK game. 

“Yeah, she’ll be around this weekend.” Avan seemed a little distracted in his work so I stopped talking. Josh came out a few minutes later. Maybe I was still delirious, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he pet Driver on the head and fastened the last few buttons on his shirt. He gave me the signature Josh Hutcherson half smile that made all the girls swoon, which never had an effect on me until now, and grabbed his wallet from the table. 

“Ready to go?” He asked, slipping it into his back pocket and picking up his keys.   
“Yup! See you later Avan!” I waved when I got off the couch and followed Josh. He stopped for a minute and poked his head in the living room. “Make sure you watch if you let Driver out, he’s been getting into this bird’s nest in one of the bushes lately. We’ll be back later on.”  
“Alright, I’ll probably bounce before you get back, I gotta wake up Andre and meet Heather in a bit.”

“Which vehicular transport machine will we be taking today, Mr. Hutcherson?” I asked when we got outside  
He gave me a weird look and walked across the driveway to the Audi, clicking the button on his keys to unlock the doors. “This one.”  
Before we pulled out of the driveway, I started fiddling with the radio trying to find a good station.  
“Would you stop!” Josh grabbed my hand. “Jeeze you’re like a child sometimes! Just pick one!”

We were 10 minutes from my hotel when Josh pulled his phone out and started typing something. Because I didn’t want to die that day, I snapped the phone out of his hands. “Joshua Ryan Hutcherson, don’t you know how dangerous it is to text and drive!”  
He held his hands up as if he was surrendering. “Yes, mother.”

I was surprised when Josh pulled into the parking lot and didn’t just drop me off at the front door of the hotel.   
“Where are you going?” I asked.  
“I’m going in with you. It doesn’t make any sense to drop you off, go all the way home and come all the way back here in a half hour to meet with my agent.”  
“Ok, fine, I’ll try to hurry.”

When we got in my room, I picked up the bill that was slid under my door and put it with my work stuff. I pulled out the travel clothes that I packed for that day and went into the bathroom.

“I just need to shower really quick and we can go.” I poked my head out of the door before closing it.

**Josh: March 14, 2014**

I grabbed a seat on the edge of the bed and pulled my phone out. My agent had texted me in the car telling me he had good news for me and that we’d be talking about it when we met later. I flipped on the TV, surfing the channels while I waited for Rachael to finish showering. My phone rang in my lap, it was Avan.

“Yo, do you want me to feed Driver before I head out?”  
“No, no, he ate earlier, it’s cool.” I fumbled with the buttons on the remote, adjusting the volume.  
“Alright, what are you guys doing later?”  
“Uh, I’m not sure actually. I’ll let you know if we plan on anything though.”   
“Hey, she’s looking good these days, you know.”  
“Who?”  
“Don’t tell me you don’t know who I’m talking about. She’s always been hot but damn, now that she’s single...”  
“Knock it off, man. I gotta go. I’ll catch you later.” I laughed and hung up the phone. Yeah she was hot, but I didn’t stand an ice cube’s chance in hell with her. She didn’t see me like that, I knew it. We were always just really good friends. Everyone in the world knew that. Even the media didn’t say anything about who she was when I had to take her as my date to the VMAs last year.

I turned the volume on the TV back up, but I couldn’t help but hear an old familiar song coming from the shower. 

_You see the hood's been good to me_  
Ever since I was a lowercase G  
But now I'm a big G. The girls see I got the money  
Million dollar bills y'all 

_If you were from where I'm from then you would know_  
That I gotta get mine in a big black truck  
You can get yours in a 64 

I got up and pounded on the bathroom door, making her stop singing the last song we heard in the car. 

“Come on, hurry up!”  
“Jesus Christ Josh! I’m almost done, would you hold on!” She yelled and shut the water off. 

I heard the curtain slide open and I pictured her toweling off as the steam from the hot water wafted through the air in the small bathroom. _Get a hold of yourself Josh, not literally, but you seriously need to get it together!_

In a couple minutes, she ripped open the bathroom door and ran out in just her towel. That was the icing on top of the cake. I couldn’t look, but I had to. Her hair was still dripping wet, causing drops of water to fall onto her shoulders and barely covered chest. If I had no dignity, I would have thrown her onto the bed right there and made sweet sweet love to her.

“Forgot my shirt!” She announced and she tiptoed to her suitcase and pulled out a light blue piece of material and sprinted back to the bathroom. When she ran back, I noticed the tattoo on her ankle looked different.  
“Did you add on to your tattoo?” I shouted through the door.  
“Oh, yeah you didn’t see that before, I got it done a few months ago!” She yelled back. 

**Josh: October 5, 2010:**

I felt like shit on the plane ride home. I was stuffy, my head hurt and I felt like my face was on fire. I had already planned on going home for my 18th birthday, but my mom and manager both thought it was a good idea to leave LA a few days earlier than I originally planned. My dad picked me up from the airport and didn’t think anything of it when I wouldn’t take my sunglasses off.

“Go take something and lay down for a while. I have to run out to a meeting but I’ll call later and check on you. Mom and Connor will be home later this evening.”  
“Ok, thanks Dad.” I gave him a fist bump so he wouldn’t get my germs, dropped my bag in the foyer and shuffled downstairs to my bedroom.

I woke up a couple hours later with a small headache, but I was feeling a little better. I decided to check and see how Rachael was doing. I knew it was going to be a pretty hard day for her. The weather wasn’t that bad, so I pulled my bike out of the garage and slipped on the helmet. I figured I’d stop by her office in Cincinnati and visit.

I rode down the street and passed her dad’s house. I noticed that Rachael’s car was in the driveway, so I turned around and parked my bike behind her. I rang the doorbell, but there wasn’t an answer. After a few more tries, I had a good idea of where she was.

**Rachael: October 5, 2010:**

It’s amazing how fast 10 years can go by. 10 years and I can still remember the look on my dad’s face when he told me after I got home from school that day. 10 years ago, my world was turned upside down. All I can remember is my dad speaking the three words that still haunt me to this day “Honey, Mom died.”

I took a vacation day in anticipation for the awful anniversary that came around to slap me in the face once a year. I couldn’t sit cooped up in my apartment all day, so I got in the car and just started driving. After stopping at the cemetery to plant flowers, I found myself at my dad’s house. He wasn’t home when I got there, but I parked my car in the driveway and went for a walk around the neighborhood.

Halfway down the street, my phone vibrated in my pocket for a text message. It was from my aunt. _Thinking of you today. Hang in there kiddo! Love you! :)  
Thanks. Love you too Aunt S!_ I wrote back and continued walking. I wound up at the place where I spent a lot of time as a kid, the bridge that ran over the creek in the woods by our neighborhood. It’s where all the kids used to hang out on hot summer days, swinging from the rope that hung from one of the trees and flying into the water, playing tag and manhunt, trying to catch fish with their bare hands - typical kid stuff.

I crossed the bridge and walked a little further into the woods. They weren’t deep woods because the highway was just on the other side, but when I was little, I used to think they went on for miles. I walked around, mindlessly, listening to a couple squirrels chattering at each other and taking in the smell of the early autumn air. I stopped walking when I heard a rustling coming from where I walked in. I turned around and walked towards the bridge and stopped in my tracks when I saw Josh standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets.

“I saw your car at your dad’s and figured you’d be here.” He said with a friendly smile.  
“Yeah, I couldn’t go to work today.”  
“How are you holding up?” He asked.  
“Eh, you know. It’s today, so...” I shrugged  
He breathed a deep sigh. “Yeah I know. Is there anything I can do?”  
“Just come give me a hug.” I held out my arms and he crossed the bridge to meet me.

I had been alright for the most part of the day, only crying once at the cemetery. But feeling his arms around me made me fall apart.

**Josh: October 5, 2010:**

I’ve only seen Rachael cry a few times in my life, she was typically a strong person, but she was a wreck when I hugged her. We stood there for a while, holding onto each other. I even let a few tears come out, but didn’t let her see them. I only knew Donna a few years before she passed away, but she was like another member of the family and it killed me to see Rachael in the state she was in. “It hurts so much, Josh.” She sobbed.

“Just let it out, Rach. I’m here now.” That’s all I could say. I couldn’t tell her it would be ok because she knew it was never going to be ok. I couldn’t say that I know how hard it is because who am I to say I know how something feels when I haven’t experienced the loss of a parent myself? All I could do was be there for her.  
“I’m so glad you’re here.” She mumbled into my neck.  
“Me too.”  
When she pulled away, she looked up at me and wiped her eyes. “Will you come with me to the tattoo place? I’ve been wanting to get something to honor her and it only makes sense to do it today.”  
“Yeah, I’d be happy to. Maybe I’ll get some new ink myself!”

She decided on a pair of angel wings on the outside of her ankle. Her mom always had a thing for angels. She squeezed my hand really tight because she couldn’t tolerate pain very well. I ended up with a sweet looking sailboat on my upper back.

When we walked out of the tattoo shop, she gave me a nice long hug. “Thank you for coming with me. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”  
“Right back at you.”


	10. Don't mistake his tough exterior

**Rachael: March 14, 2014**

I gathered my toiletries and stuffed them into my bathroom bag and stepped out of the bathroom feeling so much better now that I was clean. 

“Here you go.” I tossed Josh his clothes and padded across the room to pack the rest of my belongings.  
“Thanks!” He smiled and went back to his phone. I bent down and zipped my suitcase. “Hey, let me see the tat!” He spoke up after a minute.  
“Excuse me?” I asked, standing my suitcase up.   
“Your ankle. I want to see what you added to it.”  
“Oh. Sorry, I thought you said something else.” I chuckled and stuck my foot up on the bed next to him.  
“Is that her handwriting?” He asked, examining my mother’s initials and running his fingers over the ink.  
“Yeah, I scanned the letters from a few old cards that she wrote in.” I dropped my foot and grabbed my suitcase and work bag. “Ready?” I asked, rolling my luggage towards the door and looking around the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything.  
“Yeah.” He looked at the time on his phone. “Wow, you’re fast, we have 15 minutes to spare, how about that?”  
“I’m not a high maintenance woman, Josh. I don’t need an hour to get ready.”  
“Of course you don’t, Rach.” He laughed and followed me out the door.

10 minutes later, we arrived at the cafe where Josh was meeting his agent. He asked me to wait for him at a nearby table, so I ordered an iced tea and called my dad and told him about my unexpected travel plans. I didn’t want him to worry since he was watching my dog while Sam was moving his stuff out. 

I played a couple games of Words With Friends while I waited for Josh to get done. I glanced over at his table and he had a huge grin on his face looking at a stack of papers in front of him. Must have been something good. I was really excited for him. I glanced down at my phone when I heard it beep for a text message. 

Sam: I need another day to get the rest of my stuff   
Me: Fine. I’m in Cali for the next couple days anyway  
Sam: With Josh I assume?  
Me: Of course who else would I be with?  
Sam: Figures  
Me: What’s that supposed to mean??  
Sam: Just forget it

_What a dick._

**Josh: March 14, 2014**

“Hey Ric, how’s it goin?” I shook my longtime agent’s hand and took a seat across the table from him.  
“Oh it’s about to be going very well. Can I get you anything?” He asked, fiddling with a manilla envelope on the table. I ordered a coffee and eyed the stack of papers in front of me.  
“Why is that?”  
“We just got an update on numbers from Catching Fire and Lionsgate tells me that based on the success, all cast members will be getting big bumps for Mockingjay.”  
“Woooh! Yes!” I exclaimed as I clapped my hands together. This pay raise meant I could get the new Mercedes I’ve had my eye on for a while and a lot of other things. Ric slid the stack of papers to my side of the table.  
“This is the new contract. I need you to look it over and get it back to Danielle by Wednesday next week so she can get it off to Lionsgate.”

“This is awesome, man, I’m psyched!” I flipped through the stapled sheets, smiling.  
“So you’re all set for London in a couple weeks?” He asked, zipping up his padfolio.  
“Yeah I think so.” We sat and chit-chatted about the new horror movie I was going to be working on for a few months in London. After I was done with that, I was scheduled to start shooting the last Mockingjay film in Charlotte. I couldn’t believe that my days as Peeta were soon coming to an end.

**Josh: May 27, 2011:**

Vanessa and I decided to take a trip to Malibu for the day to go surfing. I picked her up in my Jeep and fastened her surfboard to the hood next to mine. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world with her riding next to me. She and I had only been seeing each other for a couple months, but I knew I was crazy about her. 

I pulled her in for a kiss when we got to Surfriders Beach, she resisted at first because we were in public, but I didn’t care if anyone saw us. I unlatched the boards from the top of the Jeep and handed Vanessa hers before grabbing mine. I managed to do pretty well in the water, considering I didn’t have much surfing experience. 

“You did pretty good, babe!” I told her as we got out of the water.   
“I did better than you! You wiped out like 3 times!” She squeaked and playfully shoved me.  
“I’ll do better next time. Get over here!” I grabbed for her hand but she pulled it away. I supposed she wasn’t a big fan of PDA. 

When we got back to the Jeep, I saw that I had a couple missed calls. One was my agent and the other was from a number I didn’t recognize. I called my agent back since he never left me voicemails. 

“Hey, I saw you called. What’s up?” I asked when he picked up.  
“Are you sitting down?”  
I motioned for Vanessa to turn the radio down. “Yeah, why?”  
“Heard from Gary this morning. You got it.”  
Hearing those three words, ‘you got it’ sounded like music to my ears. I was, for the first time in my life, speechless. I sat there for a moment with my mouth gaping open. Vanessa looked at me like something was wrong.   
“Josh, Josh are you there man?” I heard Ric’s voice from the other end.   
“Ye-yeah I’m here. I don’t know what to say right now. I can’t speak!”   
Ric laughed, “Well, that’s a first. I have to go make some calls and get the paperwork straightened out and I’ll give you a call later so we can go over all the details. Congratulations, this is going to be huge!”  
The first thing I did when I got off the phone was hug Vanessa. 

“I’ve never been this happy in my whole life!” I laughed and gave her a kiss.  
“That’s awesome babe! I’m so proud of you! We need to celebrate tonight!”  
“This is going to change our lives so much!”  
“Our?”  
“Yeah, you’re my girl. This affects you too.” I replied, grabbing her hand. She kissed my cheek and sat back in her seat.   
“You’re cute Joshy.”  
“I was going to wait to tell you this, but since today’s perfect, I have to now. I love you Vanessa.”

**Rachael: May 27, 2011:**

I was at this swanky wine bar in Cincinnati for a work function, entertaining clients and pretending to care about my job when my phone buzzed in my purse. I smiled at the name on the caller ID: Josh. I excused myself from the few people I was talking to and went to a the patio outside to take the call.

“Hey stranger!” I answered and took a seat at one of the tables on the patio.  
“Guess what, guess what, guess what?” He spoke as if Santa had visited him for the first time.  
“What, what, what?” I laughed at how much he sounded like a little kid.  
“Remember that audition I did a couple months ago?”  
“Oh, yeah, that Hunger Games thing? Yeah how’d that go?”  
“I got it! I just found out earlier today! I’m gonna be Peeta!” I could practically see the huge grin on his face.  
“Oh yay Josh! Congratulations! I still haven’t gotten around to reading the other 2 books, but that’s awesome!”  
I heard Vanessa’s voice in the background trying to get the phone from Josh. _“Is that her? I want to talk to her, please?”_  
“Ok, hang on Rach, Vanessa wants to say hi.” He handed the phone to what sounded like an anxiously waiting Vanessa.

“Rach? Hey!!!”  
I took another sip of wine to prepare for the sound of her voice. I loved her but sometimes when she spoke, I wanted to stab my eardrums. “Hey Vanessa! How are you girl? I miss you!”  
“I’m good, I miss you so much! When are you here next?”  
“I’ll be there in a couple weeks.” I replied, swirling my finger over the top of my wine glass.  
“Ok good, because I need you to meet these guys I found last week, they’re awesome!”  
I laughed at her attempt to set me up with her douchebag friends. “Ok, I’ll make sure to call you when I get out there.”

I heard the sound of the TV in the background fade, I assumed she was walking away. “Hey can I talk to you about something?” Her tone softened.  
“What is it?” I was taken aback at her need to confide in me.  
“So Josh told me he loved me earlier today but I don’t think I feel the same way.” I took another sip of wine, thinking about my response.  
“All I can tell you, Vanessa, is that Josh is a fragile boy. Don’t mistake his tough exterior, because deep down, he’s a softy. I know he very rarely says the L word to his girlfriends so you’re obviously special to him. Be careful with his heart.”


	11. We don't say the V word in this house

“We don’t say the V word in this house.”

**Josh: March 14, 2014**

“Wow, Josh! 10 million? Holy shit, you’re gonna be big pimpin pretty soon! You’ll be in the club making it rain all over strippers!” Rachael fanned out imaginary dollar bills in the air as we walked outside.  
“Haha yeah right. Get in the car.” I laughed and shook my head and pressed the button my keys to unlock the Audi.  
“So what other errands to we have to run today, Mr. Hollywood?” Rachael asked, buckling her seatbelt and lowering her sunglasses over her eyes.  
“I just need to run to the studio and pick something up, then the rest of the day is all yours, Miss Wallace.” I gave her a wink as I pulled out of the cafe parking lot, making her smile a mile wide. 

We stopped at the Paramount casting office so I could pick up the revised script for the movie I’d be shooting in London soon. I told Rachael to wait in the car while I ran in. She was on the phone, I’m assuming with Heather, when I got back. They were apparently planning to have a cookout at my house for that night. She hung up and smiled innocently (and adorably) at me after I climbed into the driver’s seat. 

“So you’re planning a little barbeque, at my own house without asking me?”  
“Yup. We’re gonna need to go grocery shopping later so I can get the stuff to make coleslaw.” She replied, putting her phone back in her bag. I rolled my eyes and started the car. “Yes ma’am. So, where to now?”  
“Do you think we could check out Santa Monica? I’ve never been there.”  
“You want to go to the beach, I take it?” I proposed.  
“Yes, you know me and my beaches!”

Rachael always had a thing for the ocean, even when we were kids. She said it’s where she felt at home. She was the happiest when she had sand under her feet. 

“I’ll take you somewhere else instead. Santa Monica is full of tourists.”  
“But Josh! You know I find tourists to be the most interesting breed of people!” She whined like a 5 year old.  
“No, I’m not going there, it won’t be very fun for you to watch me get mobbed by fans. We’re going somewhere else.” I demanded. I never got alone time with Rachael anymore. I wasn’t about to spend the afternoon with her and hundreds of other people. I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway until we reached El Matador State Beach. It wasn’t too crowded for a Friday afternoon.

“Wow!” Rachael exclaimed as she got a look around when she stepped out of the car. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw the ocean from the top of the hill we were on.  
“This is a real California beach, better than that tourist trap.” I commented, taking my eyes off her and focusing out at the water below us.

We spent the better half of the afternoon just goofing off by the water and crevices in the rocks that were scattered along the coast. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple hours, and the fact that I got to be alone with Rachael made it even better. I loved that she had no problem being herself around me. It seemed like she always had this barrier up whenever Sam was around. Sam had certain standards in women and she said she always felt like if she couldn’t live up to them, he’d leave her in the dust. 

**Rachael: February 17, 2013**

My eyes fluttered open that morning the second Sam kissed my lips.  
“Morning baby.” He whispered.  
“Hi!” I replied with a smile and stretched my arms over my head. He nuzzled his face into my neck, tickling the sensitive skin with the stubble on his face.  
“Are you hungry?” He asked, bringing his hand up to my face, giving me a kiss on the cheek.  
“When am I not hungry, Sam? How long have you been dating me? You should know this by now.”  
“Too long!” He answered, rolling off the bed.  
“Thanks, babe, I love you too!” I yawned and tossed his pillow at him while he pulled on his sweat pants.  
“Come on sleepy head, let’s go get breakfast.” He walked over to my side of the bed and pulled me up to stand and wrapped his arms around me, giving me a soft sensual kiss.  
“Or we could just stay here and do what we did last night.” I breathed, rubbing my hands along his chest.  
“That part can come later. Right now you’re hungry, remember?” He went to his closet and pulled out a oversized Wildcats hoodie for me to wear. I was such an idiot for not bringing my jacket to his house.

We hopped into his SUV, dodging snowflakes that were starting to come down and made our way to our favorite little hole-in-the-wall diner, Thelma’s.  
“What’ll you have, honey?” Asked the waitress.  
“I’ll take a coffee, cream and a little sugar, french toast - can you make sure it has extra cinnamon on it? And I’ll take bacon on the side, oh and an apple juice.”  
“Extra cinnamon, got it. And for you, sir?” She took Sam’s order and scurried to her other tables. I rubbed my eyes from under my glasses, wishing I had taken my contacts out before I fell asleep the night before. Sam took my hands from across the table and just stared at me.

“What?” I gave him a weird look.  
“Do you want to go sledding after this?” He blurted out of nowhere.  
“Uhh, sure. I think the last time I went sledding, either Josh or Connor broke an arm, it was awful.” I shook my head and took a sip of coffee.

After breakfast, we stopped at my house so I could change into more winter-friendly clothing then headed to one of the local parks that had sleds available to rent. We trekked up the steepest hill in the park and took our place next to a few kids who were starting to push themselves forward. Sam set the sled down on the ground and got in. I sat down in between his legs and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

On the count of 3, we pushed ourselves off and went soaring down the hill, screaming like little kids. When the sled slowed down as we neared the bottom of the hill, Sam pointed off to the right at a group of kids who were building something in the snow.

“Hey, I wonder what they’re building over there. Lets go see!” He exclaimed and pulled me out of the sled. We walked over to the 4 or 5 kids who were putting the finishing touches on something that resembled words.

“What does that say?” He waved his hand over the area, allowing me to read it. I gasped and covered my mouth as I read the words that were on the ground in the snow before me. MARRY ME RACHAEL. “Oh my God!” I whispered into my hand. I turned to look at Sam, who was now kneeling in the snow with a ring box in his hand.

“Rachael, I know it hasn’t even been a year yet, but I love you more than anything and I would love to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife?”

**Josh: February 17, 2013**

I woke up next to a blonde girl whose name I couldn’t remember, sleeping next to me in my bed. How much did I drink last night? I wondered as I turned to look at the clock on the nightstand. I had to do a couple interviews for a new movie I had coming out in the afternoon, thankfully, the clock only read 8:40. I groaned as I stretched my arms over my head, waking the mystery woman who was still naked under my sheets.  
“Morning!” She squeaked and rolled over, draping her arm around my waist.  
“Hi there!” I responded with a friendly smile.  
She kissed my cheek before rolling back onto her back. “Last night was amazing! I’ll never forget it!” _At least one of us won’t._  
“Uh, thank you. Listen, I gotta get up, I have press stuff this afternoon, so...”

“No, no, no not so fast mister! I’m going to make you breakfast!” She sat up and pulled my Train concert t-shirt that was lying on the floor over her head.  
“Oh thank you that’s very sweet. I guess I’ll show you where everything is.” I sat up and pulled on my boxers and led her out into the kitchen. Avan and Heather were both passed out in my living room. I showed the unnamed girl around the kitchen and sat on a stool next to the island, checking the emails on my phone.

After responding to a few messages from my publicist and manager, I got up to see what she was making. French toast, but just basic french toast. She stepped away from the mixing bowl and pulled bacon out of the refrigerator. When she wasn’t looking, I snuck into the spice cabinet and added a dash of nutmeg, capful of vanilla, a few shakes of allspice and a shit ton of cinnamon.

“What are you doing over there?” She asked, looking over at me from the griddle.  
“You can’t have french toast without cinnamon. It’s a crime against humanity.” I replied, sticking the spices back in the cabinet.

I sat back down at the island and pulled out my phone while she cooked up the french toast and bacon. The screen read 1 new message. I brought it up and felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach when I saw Rachael’s message.

It was picture was of her left hand with a bright shiny rock on her ring finger. The message simply said _I’m getting married!!!! Ahhhh!!!! :)_  
“Oh, shit!” I blurted, scratching the back of my head and setting the phone down on the counter in front of me.  
“What is it?” The girl looked up from the stove.  
“Ahh, nothin’ just a good friend of mine just got engaged.”  
“Oh, well congratulations to her or him!” She stated before turning back towards the pan. My subconscious was screaming at me. You wouldn’t be in this situation if you just told her how you felt a few years ago when you had the chance, but now it’s too late. Good going, you giant pussy!

**Rachael: March 14, 2014**

Josh drove us to the local Ralph’s so I could pick up food for later. I pulled a shopping cart out of the rack and started walking into the store.  
“Hey, what are you doing? I always push the cart!” Josh demanded as he bumped me with his hip.  
“No Joshua, I always push. You’re the guy so you have to put the stuff in the cart. That’s how this works.” I replied, smiling sweetly.  
He rolled his eyes and stepped aside so I could push.. “You’re really spoiled, you know that?”  
“I am not! I just know how to get my way!” I stuck my tongue out and followed him inside.

We arrived at Josh’s house and he unpacked the groceries while I wheeled my suitcase to his spare bedroom. The buzzer at the gate rang within a few minutes and it was Heather, her friend Michelle, Avan and Andre. Melissa had never been there before and was amazed at Josh’s house. She wandered through the dining room, looking at all of the photos Josh had hanging up on the wall while Heather and I made a few side dishes. 

I heard Michelle squeal when she stumbled across a photo that Josh had of the cast from Journey 2 The Mysterious Island.  
“Oh my God is that The Rock? Ahh! And Vanessa Hudgens and....”  
Heather cut her off. “Oh no, we don’t say the V word in this house, especially around Rachael.”  
I nodded in agreement and continued chopping cabbage for the coleslaw. “She and I do not get along. At all. I don’t want to talk about it but let’s just not use her name anymore, ok? Thanks.” 

I heard Josh holler from outside that he needed the burgers and hotdogs, so I brought them out to him on a plate.  
“Well thank you dear.” He responded, holding his beer bottle up at me.  
“You’re welcome sweetheart. Remember I like my hotdogs burnt.” I started walking away when I heard Josh holler, “Yeah I know you have a thing for dark weiners, Rach!”  
I flipped him the finger and went back inside. 

I was spent after eating and drinking way too many pina coladas that Heather and I decided to make after dinner. Everyone ended up falling asleep in Josh’s living room, which was typical of them. Around 2, I headed to bed, excited for the next day’s trip to San Diego. I had just started to fall asleep when the bedroom door opened. It was Josh.

“So Driver took up the whole bed and kicked me out, can I crash in here?” He asked.  
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” I muttered and closed my eyes again. It didn’t register with me right in that moment that he had a king sized bed and Driver wasn’t that big of a dog. I felt him slide in next to me and then I drifted off to sleep. I woke up what must have been only minutes later to Josh touching my face. I didn’t open my eyes though because I didn’t really think anything of it. And that’s when he kissed me.

I didn’t move a muscle when I felt his lips touch mine. All I could do was pretend to be asleep, which was really hard to do because feeling his hands on me and his body so close to mine sent a surge of energy rushing through my whole body. I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this way. _What has this boy done to me?_


	12. Here, you can drive Stella

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

I laid in my big empty bed with Driver at my feet and couldn’t sleep a wink. Lanchen called me to apologize for the fight we had the day before, and of course, I forgave her for being a total bitch to me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Rachael. I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to tell her, she had only been single for about a week, but I had to do something about what I was feeling. I went into the kitchen and gulped down half a bottle of Gatorade before putting it back in the fridge. 

My heart was about to pound out of my chest when I opened the door to my second bedroom where Rachael was staying. She stirred a little when I walked in and looked at me.  
“So Driver took up the whole bed and kicked me out, can I crash in here?” I lied, hoping she wouldn’t see right through me.  
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” She waved her hand at me and went back to sleep. 

I liked the way Rachael looked wearing my clothes the night before, but I liked it even more the way she looked in her own pajamas. She wore a simple black tank top and pink shorts that showed off her nice tan legs. Her hair was out of the ponytail she wore it in all day, leaving a small bump on the crown of her head. I watched her sleep for a few minutes, and then I started playing with the hair that had fallen in her face. Her eyebrows furrowed at first when I touched her, but softened after a minute.

After countless nights staying at each other’s houses and who knows how many times we just sat on the bridge, alone, I had a lot of chances to kiss Rachael in the past. I don’t know why it hit me this time, but I suddenly got the urge to do the unthinkable. I knew she was a pretty heavy sleeper so I was hoping that she was sound asleep when I leaned in and kissed her soft lips. 

I lingered for a second before pulling away to see if it had caused her to wake up. Luckily, she didn’t move. I wasn’t going to say anything to her or anyone else about it. This was a moment I was going to hang onto for a while. I didn’t even care that I was dating someone, I had to see what her lips felt like against mine.

**Rachael: March 15, 2014**

I woke up to Driver barking in the hallway outside the door. I didn’t even remember Josh closing the door. Weird. I didn’t remember much from the night before other than that kiss. It only lasted for a second, but I was still feeling the aftershock from it. My mind was running wild in every different direction as I got up to let Driver outside. _Was I dreaming it? If it was real, why did he kiss me? Should I ask him about it? What about Lanchen? Sure she was a little twat but she was still his girlfriend._

I decided to let it go, it was probably nothing. Josh got into a of Bourbon the night before, maybe Jim Beam made him do it. I threw Driver the ball he brought me and watched him chase it in the yard. When I went back inside, Josh was already up and waking up Avan, Heather, Andre and Michelle. No one else could go with us to San Diego, so it was just Josh and I for the day. _Alone with Josh after he kissed me._ This was going to be comfortable. I couldn’t tell him that I knew what he did. Then he’d start to question why I didn’t kiss him back. _Wait, why didn’t I kiss him back?_

I grabbed the last clean outfit I had packed in my suitcase and took a shower. Josh’s bathroom smelled just like him. I was aroused thinking about him standing in the same spot I was in, completely naked. _Wait, this was JOSH. Joshy Hutcherson, remember? The little boy you used to babysit? Who was fucking three when you first met him? Stop thinking about him that way you sick woman!_

I tried my best to act normal around Josh so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable around me. I followed him into the garage after he finished getting ready.

“Here, you can drive Stella.” He said, tossing me the keys to his prized BMW.  
“You’re trusting me to drive this thing?” I was shocked. He never let anyone drive his BMW. It was the only vehicle he had a name for. He cared for it better than anything he owned and now it was in my hands. And I had only driven a stick shift once before and it was a disaster. 

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

"Its fine. I trust you. Your sense of direction is another thing, but I know you can drive her."  
"Wow, I'm honored. Ok, let's go!" She smiled and climbed in. 

She made it onto the highway surprisingly after only stalling the car twice. I didn't say much in the car other than telling her where to turn. She was acting normal so I know she didn't know what I did last night, but I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to do it again.

Rachael scrolled through my really random itunes playlist looking for a good song. She stopped when the sound of Taylor Hanson’s harmonica blared through the speakers at the beginning of ‘If Only’. If there was a bigger Hanson fan than Rachael, I'd like to meet him or her. She’s loved them since she was 11, and was crazy obsessed, her room was covered in pictures of them when she was younger. 

I remember how upset she was when she couldn't fly out when they came to the Detention set. I think she cried for 2 solid hours. She thanked me a million times, though, when I sent her the video I took of them saying hi to her on camera. She belted the lyrics like no one was in the car with her. I couldn't help but laugh at the way she banged her hands on the steering wheel.

"Cause all I think about is your hands your face and all these lonely nights. There's a feeling that's creepin in the back of my head saying over and over." 

Without her noticing, I quickly turned the volume down so I could hear her sing.

"Wanna hold you, love you, in my arms...Hey, you asshole!" She smacked my arm and turned the volume back up and continued singing. 

"What? You're a fabulous singer. Definitely should quit your day job and try out for American Idol." I teased, making her just shake her head as she kept belting the lyrics.

We got to the San Diego Zoo and were having a great time hanging out and checking out the different exhibits. There were a lot of people crowded around the panda exhibit and Rachael just had to get a better look, so she grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd so she could get close. I didn’t want to let go. I just wanted to pull her in and kiss her right there. 

“Excuse me, could you take our picture? Can you make sure you get the panda in the background? Thank you!” She handed her camera to a stranger who obliged. She put her hands around my neck and squeezed her cheek against mine. I smiled as I put my arm around her waist and waited for the man to fiddle with the camera before he got a couple shots of us. 

“I like being a tourist with you!” She exclaimed as we walked away from the panda exhibit.  
“Me too.” I laughed and pulled my ringing phone out of my pocket. I hesitated to answer when I saw that it was Lanchen, but I decided to be a nice boyfriend and take the call.

She was frantic when I answered. “Babe, you need to come get me. I don’t know who else to call!” She cried.  
“Honey, I’m 2 hours away in San Diego. What’s wrong?”  
“Wait, what are you doing in San Diego?”  
“That doesn’t matter, where are you? Are you ok?”   
“I-I think I’ll be ok. I’ll just call Shannon or something. Can you come get me when you get back, please?”  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving now.” I hung up and turned to Rachael who was patiently looking at the pictures on her camera. “I’m so sorry I have to cut our trip short. Lanchen needs me.”  
“Oh, it’s ok. Is everything alright?” She asked, looking disappointed.  
“Yeah I think so. I’m really sorry Rach. I know you wanted to see more.”  
“No, it’s fine. You have your duties as a boyfriend. At least I got to see my pandas.” She smiled politely and followed me back to the car.


	13. Take the hat off, let's see it

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

“Well, fuck, this should be a blast!” Rachael exclaimed with a smile as I pulled into Shannon’s driveway.   
“Don’t remind me. I’m just gonna go in, get Lanchen and get the hell out of there. You better stay here. I think Shannon’s still scared of you.” I said, slipping off my seat belt. A few months after I found out Shannon was cheating on me, Rachael was in LA and ran into her and let her have it. 

Shannon answered the door with a smile and a hug. “Joshy! How long has it been?”  
“Where’s Lanchen?” I responded, pushing her off me.  
“She’s in the bathroom. Have a seat.” She gestured to the couch in her living room.  
“No, thanks I’m good. What happened to her?”  
“Josh, you’re looking really good these days, you know?” She stepped close to me and ran a finger down my chest. “Why did I ever let you go?” She whispered close to my ear.  
“Shannon, cut the bullshit, ok? Just go tell Lanchen I’m here so I don’t have to see you any more than I have to.”  
“Wow, someone’s grown a set of balls. It’s about time. Fine, I’ll go get her. Wait here.”

I let out a deep sigh, releasing the pressure Shannon always seemed to put on me. She was so irritatingly annoying and always found a way to get under my skin. Lanchen followed Shannon into the living room a minute later, holding her face. She started crying when she saw me. She was a mess. I brought her in for a hug.

“Babe, what happened?” I questioned, but she didn’t say anything, she just kept crying.  
“Why don’t you guys stay here for a while.” Shannon said, putting her hand on my shoulder.  
“No, Rachael’s in the car waiting, we have to go.”   
Shannon’s smile faded when she heard Rachael’s name. “Oh. Don’t want to keep her waiting. I know how she can be.”  
“Shannon, just stop, ok?” I pleaded, rolling my eyes. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll get you something for that eye.” I whispered to Lanchen and guided her out the door. 

Lanchen was quiet in the car on the way to my house. Rachael moved to the back seat to sit next to her and tried to calm her down and kept asking her what happened. As much as Rachael couldn’t stand Lanchen, she still went out of her way to comfort her. I thought it was really sweet for her to do that.  
“I just don’t want to talk about it.” Lanchen sobbed.  
“Ok, ok. We’ll get you an ice pack when we get to Josh’s.” Rachael said, rubbing her back. She looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror and shook her head.

**Rachael: March 15, 2014**

Lanchen stopped crying by the time we got to Josh’s house. I helped her inside while Josh carried my bag and the couple stuffed animals I bought at the zoo for my younger cousins back home. (Ok, I bought a stuffed panda for myself too). 

“Sit here, I’ll get you some ice.” I sat Lanchen down on the stool at Josh’s island in the kitchen. Josh was outside playing with Driver, so I took this opportunity to get the truth out of her. I put some ice cubes into a towel and held it at her face, making her cringe at first, but she softened at the coolness.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She asked.  
“Well, your eye looks like shit and I can tell it hurts and I hate seeing people who are in pain. Now, do you want to tell me how you got that black eye?”  
“I can’t. I can’t tell you right now.” Tears starting falling out of her uncovered eye again.   
“Alright, I tried. You don’t want to talk about it, whatever.” I was fed up with her crying, I know that’s mean but I didn’t want to listen to her anymore. 

I went into Josh’s spare room and pulled out my running shoes and changed into comfortable shorts and a tank top. I need to get out and clear my head a little. When I came out, Josh was sitting in the living room with his arm around Lanchen’s shoulder. 

“Mind if I take Driver for a run?” I asked, poking my head in.  
“No, go ahead.” Josh flashed me the heart-wrenching crooked half-smile that was really starting to get to me.

Driver basically pulled me down the street and it was a challenge to keep up with him. But it felt good to release all the tension I had been carrying for the last week. After Sam ended everything and now whatever these possibly undiscovered feelings I was starting to have for Josh, my head was all fucked up. Driver and I got a mile and a half down the road when I had to slow down to catch my breath. I considered myself an occasional runner. I only started doing it when my friend Molly dragged me to the gym every day a few years ago.

 

**Rachael: August 25, 2011**

“How do my boobs look?” I asked Molly, fiddling with my sports bra in the locker room mirror.   
“Nice and perky!” Molly responded, pulling her auburn hair back into a ponytail.   
“Good! I hope Jake actually notices today! I have a feeling he’s going to cave in very soon and ask me out. He has to!”

Jake was the really buff trainer at the gym Molly and I went to. He was pretty much the perfect guy. Tall, jet black hair, baby blue eyes and a smile that could give any girl a heart attack. Not to mention, whenever I needed help with a machine, he was always quick to lend a hand. I mean, it was his job, but I couldn’t help but sense a little sexual tension between us. 

I hopped on the treadmill next to Molly and locked eyes with Jake who was standing behind the desk talking to someone. He looked brutally hot with his cut off t-shirt and gym shorts. _Unf!_ I started running and smiled at him when he looked over at me. I just about lost it when he winked at me. I had to hang on to the sides of the treadmill. I adjusted my boobs again and rolled my shorts up when he wasn’t looking. 

About 10 minutes later, to my utter surprise, Josh walked in. And damn, he looked good. He didn't even tell me he was coming home either, bastard. I saw him nod to Jake at the desk before his eyes scanned around the room. He darted to me as soon as he noticed I was there. He was wearing that same old Cincinnati Reds hat but I could tell his hair was blonde underneath. 

"What are you doing here?" I exclaimed, stepping off the treadmill as it came to a halt.  
"I wanted to come home for a few days before I had to go to North Carolina for The Hunger Games."   
He held his arms out for a hug which I half gave him in return, I was all sweaty and gross and didn’t want to gross him out. I couldn't help but feel that he had some nice muscles though.

"Oh. Take the hat off, let's see it." I demanded, grabbing my water bottle from the treadmill and taking a drink.  
He removed the hat revealing a new shade I had never seen on his head before. I hardly recognized him. My hand covered my mouth in shock.  
"Holy shit who are you? And what you packed on like 20 pounds since I last saw you?" I asked, touching his bicep and giving it a little squeeze.

"Yeah I've been training like every day. And since I still have a few days I figured I'd stop by and get a little workout in."  
"Awesome. We'll have to hang out before you go!"  
“We will.” He winked and made his way to a weight machine in the back of the gym. 

I jumped back on the treadmill and continued flirting with Jake from across the room. I watched him spot this one guy using the bench press and pretty much fell in love. “Oh my God!” I mouthed to Molly who had made her way over to an elliptical machine. “I know!” She mouthed back, fanning herself.

**Josh: August 25, 2011**

I dropped the weights I was using when I noticed Rachael eye-fucking the guy at the desk. If she looked at me like that, I’d have to bend her over right here. She’s so blind. I thought. I hopped on the treadmill next to hers and pulled an earbud out of her ear.

“Hey!” She snapped.  
“You’re wasting your time with him.”  
“No I’m not! I’ve been flirting with this guy for like 2 weeks straight. He wants it!”  
“No he doesn’t Rachael, you’re so oblivious. He’s gay.”  
“What? you’re crazy! No he’s not!”   
I looked at him and noticed he was flirting with the guy he was spotting. “Uh, yes, he is. Look at how he’s smiling.”   
“You know what, Hutch? You really ruin these things for me. Thanks a lot!” She reached over and smacked my arm.  
“What?” I chuckled. “I’m just pointing out the obvious so you don’t waist your time!” 

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “How’s Vanessa doing these days?”  
“How would I know? I broke up with her.”  
“You did? Why? I liked her.” She slowed down to a brisk walk.  
“She told me she was never serious about our relationship, even after telling me that she loved me.”  
“Wow. That’s fucking bullshit, Josh. You know I told her to be careful with you and this is what you get! We need to find you a nice girl.”  
“I’m just gonna be single for awhile, I need to concentrate on this movie anyhow, I don’t need any distractions.” _Any distractions like Rachael Wallace looking fine as hell in short shorts and a body hugging tank top._

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

Rachael and Driver came in as the sun was starting to go down. She darted to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water and joined Lanchen and I in the living room. _Man she looks hot right now._

“How’s that eye?” Rachael asked Lanchen, plopping down on the couch.  
“It’s a little better now, thanks.” Lanchen replied with a smile.   
I pulled out my phone to text something to Avan and checked my Twitter for the hell of it. Maybe I’d even send a tweet out - ha! Then I saw that someone named Emily tweeted to me:

@jhutch1992 tell that skank hoe you date I’ll make her left eye match her right if she goes near Tom again

I was suddenly really confused and had to see what this was about.   
“Hey babe, who’s Emily? I got this tweet from her and she said something about a Tom? Who’s that?” I asked.   
Rachael’s eyes grew wide and she leaped off the couch. “I’m gonna go take a shower. You two obviously need to talk.” She glared at Lanchen and left us alone.


	14. You wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?

**Rachael: March 15, 2014**

I stormed out of the living room after glaring at Lanchen. I remember she mentioned something about Tom having a girlfriend named Emily, when she told me about Tom the first time. I wondered what Emily tweeted to Josh. I grabbed my phone from my bag and opened up Twitter and clicked on Josh’s name to see.

@jhutch1992 tell that skank hoe you date I’ll make her left eye match her right if she goes near Tom again

“Oh shit!” I said out loud, covering my mouth with my hand. This Emily girl was not one to be messed with. I hoped Lanchen knew what she was getting herself into. I really didn’t want to deal with the bullshit. Josh was a big boy and he could handle this issue himself. I decided not to butt in this time. I set my phone down and pulled out my PJs and bathroom stuff. 

I was about to open the door when my phone rang. _Do I really want to answer this?_ I thought when I saw Sam’s name on the caller ID. _Ugh fine!_ After the third ring, I picked up.

“Hello?”  
“Hey, its Sam.”  
“Yeah I know, what do you want?”  
“How’s California.....and Josh?”  
“Fine. Is there something I can help you with?”  
“No, I just wanted to let you know I got the rest of my stuff out and I left my key on the counter in the kitchen.”  
“Ok, thanks.” I said, folding some of the clothes in my suitcase. “Is that all?”  
“This whole thing kind of sucks, you know?” He sighed.  
“Well, you’re the one who called the wedding off, Sam. I know it sucks.”  
“I’m really sorry, Rach. I just-I wasn’t ready.”  
“I know.” My voice cracked as I felt a lump in my throat. “Look, I have to go.”  
“Ok, maybe I’ll....“ He started to say something but I hung up. I threw my phone back in the bed and slowly opened the door. I walked quickly to the bathroom so I wouldn’t overhear Josh and Lanchen talking, but it didn’t matter how fast I walked, I still heard it. 

“Every time she’s around, you act so different, like you don’t care about me. What am I supposed to do, Josh? I can’t keep hiding under her shadow.”

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

“Come on Josh, you hold Rachael up on this pedestal all the time. I had no other choice but to start talking to someone else.”  
“You could have talked to me about this. Me, you know, your boyfriend? Who you’ve known since we were like 12? Rachael has nothing to do with this. You should have talked to me instead of going behind my back.” My voice started to rise. 

Lanchen spilled everything. She was talking to this guy Tom for a while. She said they were just ‘talking’, and when she heard that Rach was in town, she called him to hang out. It turns out that when she went to his house, his girlfriend, Emily, was there and she found out that they had been ‘talking’ and hit her in the face.

“I’m really sorry, Josh. Can you forgive me? I love you baby.” She pouted.  
“I just don’t know what we’re supposed to do now, Lanchen. I mean how can I forget the fact that you’ve been lying to me? Huh?” I stood up, flailing my arms in the air.  
“I don’t know.” She murmured, on the verge of tears.  
“I can’t take this being lied to anymore. I need some time alone ok?”  
“You’re breaking up with me?” She cried.  
“No, but you need to think about what you did. I think you should go home. I’ll call you a cab.” I went for my phone but she stopped me.

“And leave you here alone with Rachael? Absolutely not!” She shouted. Shit, she sees right through me. She knows about last night.  
“Lanchen, listen. You have nothing to worry about with her. You need to let go of this insecurity you have.” I dialed the cab company and it arrived to pick her up 10 minutes later.  
“Can I at least have a kiss goodnight?” She puckered her lips but I didn’t kiss her.  
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m really upset with you. I’ll call you in a few days.” 

**Rachael: March 15, 2014**

After blow drying my hair, I slowly crept the bathroom door open and listened for any conversation. All I heard was the TV so I figured it was safe to go out. I didn’t understand why Lanchen said Josh acted different around me, he was always himself. I didn’t see any reason why Lanchen felt like I was casting some kind of shadow over her. I may have been annoyed with her to no end, but I never meant to make her feel threatened. 

“Hey, is everything ok? Where’s Lanchen?” I asked Josh who was staring at the TV with his arms crossed.  
“Sent her home. What do you know, Rach?”  
I rubbed my eyes and sat next to him. “Look, she told me everything on your 21st birthday, but honestly, Josh. I don’t want to get involved in this. I figured it would be better coming from her so I didn’t say anything to you. You’re a big boy now, you can deal with this.”  
Josh didn’t say anything, he was tuned in to whatever they were saying on TV.  
“Are you mad at me?” Still no response. “Josh?” Still nothing. I smacked his leg. “Joshua! Are you fucking mad at me or not?”  
He looked at me and smiled. “It’s really hard to get mad at you. But yes, I’m fucking pissed as hell. I should make you sleep outside tonight.”  
My stomach grumbled at me. “I know what we need. Pizza. Where’s your phone?” 

The delivery man came with our large pepperoni and mushroom pie, hot wings and garlic knots a half-hour later. Josh set everything on the table in the living room and I grabbed a couple beers out of the fridge for us. We sat on the floor, eating and talking about this cute older couple we kept running into at the zoo. Somehow, the topic of marriage came up and my heart sank a little. 

“So Sam called me before I went in the shower.” I said, licking the hot wing sauce off my fingers.  
“Yeah, what did that douchebag have to say?”  
“Nothing really, he just said all his stuff is moved out.” I shrugged.  
“Oh.”  
“I don’t know how I’ll handle it when I get home and see that it’s not there anymore.” There’s the lump again.  
“You’ll be ok eventually, Rach. You’re a tough girl.” He put his hand on my shoulder and took another bite of pizza. My eyes started to sting as a few tears fell.  
“I know eventually I’ll be ok, just right now really sucks!” I started sobbing. “I mean, I’m supposed to be at my bachelorette party right now!”  
“But instead you’re here with me! That’s like 10 times better than going to some stupid male strip club!” He got up and put his arms around my shoulders. “Aww come on Rach! You know what you need?”  
“What?” I sniffled.  
“You wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” He whispered in my ear, giving me chills.  
“No, no I don’t! But I’d love to watch that movie right now.” I laughed, causing a few more tears to fall. 

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

“Alright, help me clean this up and I might let you crack open the peanut butter cup ice cream I bought the other day.”  
“Ugh you always know the way to a girl’s heart.” She smiled and helped me take the leftover food to the kitchen.  
I changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and a plain white t-shirt while Rachael bagged up the food and put it in the fridge. I dug Dumb and Dumber out of the movie cabinet and put it in while I waited for Rachael. She came in a few minutes later with her beloved Ben & Jerry’s and a spoon. I was resting against the armrest of the couch and patted the space next to me, which is where she sat, right up against me and I was in Heaven. 

“Ugh so good! Thank you!” She said with a mouthful of ice cream. I opened my mouth to try some and she dug the spoon in the container and slid the spoon onto my tongue. Knowing that her mouth was just on the spoon was enough to make me sweat.

We spent the next hour and a half reciting every single line to the movie and laughing at the scenes that we’ve already seen about a million times. Rachael got up midway through the movie to put the ice cream back in the freezer. When she came back, she sat even closer to me and nuzzled her head on my chest. When she finished laughing at Jeff Daniels getting his tongue stuck to the ski lift, I kissed the top of her head. She put her arm around my waist and let out a content sigh. This is the moment I knew I had really fallen for Rachael Wallace.


	15. You boys and your stupid video games

**Rachael: March 15, 2014**

“Hi there! You wouldn’t happen to have a cup of warm water, would ya?” Jeff Daniels mumbled on the TV as I walked back into the living room. I smirked and sat back down right next to Josh. He smelled so good and I had to be close to him, so I propped my feet up on my side and rested my head on his chest. His arm hugged my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. My body temperature rose every time he inhaled.

He played with the hair sticking out my my ponytail before kissing the top of my head. I wasn’t sure what to do, just like the night before when he kissed my lips. What did all of this mean? I wanted to ask him so bad why he was suddenly so touchy-feely around me but how awkward would that conversation be? Plus, I guess I’m the one who made the first move this time. Would I even call resting my head on his chest a move? I just wanted to cuddle with my best friend. There’s no shame in that, right?

Not really sure where this was heading, I put my arm around his waist and tried to relax a little. I wanted him to kiss me again. Deep down, I was hoping he would just say my name making me look up at him and then lean down and plant one on me, but he didn’t do anything at all. Driver came charging into the room just as Jim Carey was pouring the bottle of Turbo Lax into Jeff Daniels' cup of tea.  
"What do you want, boy?" Josh asked in the cute way guys talk to their animals. Driver huffed as he put his head on Josh's lap. I couldn't help but turn into a puddle of mush when I saw the way Driver looked up at him.

"What you wanna go potty?" He asked in an excited tone, making Driver wag his tail at a rapid pace.  
I chuckled and lifted my head up allowing Josh to get off the couch.  
"What's so funny?" He asked.  
"Potty? I didn't realize Driver was a human 3 year old going through potty training."  
He shook his head and smirked. "What, I'm not gonna say, yo dog, you wanna go take a piss or what?" He said in a tough guy voice.  
"Oh boy. You're weird. Just go, your dog wants you!" I waved him away and laid my head on the other end of the couch. I figured that was probably enough cuddling for a while, Josh - not so much.

**Josh: March 15, 2014**

“Driver! Quiet down!” I shouted off the back porch at him as he was barking at something in the bushes. Rachael was laying down and covered up with the blanket I had on the back of the couch when I got back. She moved her feet out of the way, making room for me to sit. I patted my lap, gesturing for her to come back over to me. I had no problem with her curled up next to me, but she shook her head no and looked back at the TV.  
“What, we’re done with this cuddling business?” I asked.  
“Yeah, it’s not a good idea, Josh.” She replied.  
“I guess you’re right. Sorry.” I shook my head.

_Dammit._ I should have figured she was just cuddling with me for the sake of cuddling. She was always such a touchy-feely person anyway. I don’t know why I took it as something other than just cuddling. It’s good she didn’t come back over, because if she did, I would have had to pin her down to the couch and have my way with her - Lanchen or no Lanchen, I didn’t care anymore.

My phone rang towards the end of the movie. It was Avan.  
“Yo, I’m playing Call of Duty, get on with me.”  
“I will after, I’m watching Dumb and Dumber with Rachael right now.”  
“Just you two?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Reeeealy. Hmmm that’s interesting. Very interesting.”  
“No it’s not, why do you say that?”  
“Dude, you’re an idiot. You totally have a thing for her, don’t even lie.”  
“No I don’t!” I snapped.  
“No you do actually, and you’re a pussy if you don’t make a move on this girl because the second she goes back to Kentucky, she’s gonna have guys hanging all over her when they find out she’s single again.”  
“Well, I can’t do that. I sort of, uh,” I looked at Rachael who was glued to the television. “I have other obligations if you know what I mean.”  
“You didn’t get rid of Lanchen yet, did you?”  
“Uh, not exactly.”  
“Pussy. You’re a pussy. That’s all I have to say. Grow a pair. I’m getting online right now. Peace.”

As the movie ended, I asked Rachael if it was cool if I played a little CoD.  
She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you boys and your stupid video games. Go ahead, it’s your house.”  
I tried to explain the game to her but she was busy playing around on her phone to pay attention, so I pulled out my headset and trash talked Connor, Avan and a few other guys who were playing too. Every now and then, I heard Avan say “Did you kiss her yet, did you kiss her yet?” _Yes, I did actually, but no one knows about it._  
“No, shut the fuck up.” I replied.  
“What’s he talking about?” Connor piped in.  
“Nothing, don’t worry about it, just worry about getting the guy that’s behind you.”

“You guys all suck. I’m going to bed.” I grumbled into the microphone as we lost our final game.  
“Don’t be a pussy, Josh. Remember what we talked about. Be strong man!” Avan shouted into my ear before I turned the headset off. I looked over at Rachael who was sound asleep on the other side of the couch.. She looked adorable curled up into a little ball under the blanket with her hands tucked under her neck. I got up to let Driver out again and grabbed a drink of iced tea out of the fridge. I decided I’d let her sleep where she was. We had to leave pretty early for the airport the next morning.

I called Driver back inside and went to the living room to shut off the light on the end table. Rachael let out a sleepy moan, signaling to me that I had woken her up. I turned the light back on to see her eyes open and she was stretching her arms over her head.  
“What time is it?” She mumbled.  
“1:30. I’m going to bed. I’ll get you up in the morning, ok?” I smiled but felt my stomach do cartwheels as Avan’s words echoed in my head. _You’re a pussy if you don’t make a move on this girl._  
“Mmmmhmmm. Goodnight Joshy boy.” She closed her eyes, smiling, knowing how much I hated being called Joshy. I knelt down next to her and poked her side, causing her eyes to shoot open.  
“I hate when you call me that.”  
She put her hand over mine to stop me from tickling her again. “I know, that’s why I did it.” She scrunched her nose at me and I was done. I couldn’t take her anymore. I leaned in close to her face.  
“Rachael...” I whispered before I leaned in and lightly touched my lips to hers. I opened my eyes and she swallowed hard, trying to register what just happened between us. Seeing the look on her face, I wish I could have re-wound the last 45 seconds.

“Shit I’m a fucking moron. I don’t know why I just did that. I’m really sorry, Rach.”  
“Really? I’m not.” She smiled before she grasped the front of my shirt and pulled me into her.


	16. You'll probably want to carry this with you on the plane

**Rachael: March 16, 2014**

Josh poked my stomach in an effort to tickle me after I called him Joshy.  
“I hate when you call me that.” He breathed as he knelt down next to the couch.  
“I know, that’s why I did it.” I scrunched my nose at him and closed my eyes again. His scent grew stronger as he inched close to my face. I felt a tingle in the pit of my stomach, but it was a good one. We were mere centimeters from each other, then he whispered my name and I was a goner.

“Rachael...” I opened my eyes just as he pressed his lips onto mine. Every hair on my body stood on end and my temperature skyrocketed from a normal 98.6 to a 120. He parted after only a second to study my reaction. I was in complete shock that he actually did it while I was awake this time. I didn’t know how to respond so I just laid still.  
“Shit I’m a fucking moron. I don’t know why I just did that. I’m really sorry, Rach.” He blushed and held his head in his hands.

“Really? I’m not.” I smiled and tugged at the front of his shirt and pulled him in towards me, pressing my lips onto his at full force. I fisted through his short brown hair and trailed my fingers down the scruffle on his face, then along that damned jawline and over his adams apple and neck beard that he got whenever he didn’t shave for a few days.

I tossed the blanket off my body and sat up so I could fully lean into him. He was still on his knees in front of the couch and held onto my hips as he pulled me close so my legs were on either side of him. I threw my hands around his neck as our lips collided into one another, releasing any tension that had been building up between us over the last 18 years and two days.

He grunted as he pulled me up to stand and forced my mouth open with his tongue. His hands made their way from my shoulders, down to my back while he hugged me tight and stopped when they got to my waist. _Is this seriously happening right now? This has to be a dream. I can’t possibly be making out with Josh. There’s a million reasons why this should not be happening right now. Oh fuck I don’t care._

I ran my hands down his broad shoulders and found the zipper on the zip-up UK hoodie (that I bought him for Christmas one year) he was wearing over a grey v-neck. I started to pull the metal tab downward when his hands landed on mine, stopping me. He kissed me a few more times before pulling away.  
“Rachael, wait.” He laughed nervously and licked his lips. _God those lips. I’m addicted to them now. Nothing else will ever taste better to me._

**Josh: March 16, 2014**

“What is it?” She narrowed her eyes to meet mine and rested her hands on my chest. I wanted her. I wanted her so damn bad I had to fight with every ounce of energy I had to hold back.  
“I-I don’t. I’m just not sure if-if this is, I mean, we can’t-we can’t do this right now.” I regretfully told her.  
Her hands dropped from my chest and fell to her sides and she took a step back.

“Yeah, yeah, no you’re absolutely right. We can’t go there. No. Wrong, so wrong. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over m’e.” She folded the blanket and laid it on the back of the couch so she didn’t have to look at me. “I-I’m sorry. Im gonna go to bed. I can call a cab or something in the morning. I’m sorry Josh.”

“Rachael, stop apologizing. I’ll take you to the airport, don’t worry. It was just a kiss, no harm done.” _Oops. Just? Just a kiss? No, that was much more than a kiss. She and I both know that. Shit, she’s pissed._ She raised her eyebrows and was taken aback at my comment. She pursed her lips and squinted her eyes the way she does when someone really pushes her buttons.  
“Ok. Fine. I have to be at the airport by 9:30.” She turned away and started walking out of the room.

“Consider it done. Goodnight Rach.”  
“Yeah, night.” I heard her say before she walked down the hallway and slammed the bedroom door behind her. I sank down on the couch and turned the TV off. I sat for awhile with my head in my hands, replaying what just happened. She and I both knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself and neither could she. We were both sexually frustrated and needed some kind of an escape, but finding that escape in each other was not supposed to happen. It was wrong on so many levels. We had 18 years behind us, I wasn’t about to mess up our friendship because I let my penis take control.

**Rachael: March 16, 2014**

“Get up!” Josh flicked on the light in the bedroom at 8am, jarring me out of my horrible night’s sleep. I think I managed to get about 4 hours of sleep after tossing and turning all night trying to wrap my head around why Josh ended things last night when he’s the one who kissed me in the first place. 

“I fucking hate you so much right now.” I grumbled at him.  
“Sorry.” He managed a sleepy chuckle that shot a dart right through me. _Bastard, you know what you’re doing right now._ He looked around my room, noticing the mess I made tearing through my suitcase to look for my stupid phone charger last night, and out of anger at him (and myself) I left my belongings strewn all over. “Come on you need to get your ass moving, look, you aren’t even packed!” He exclaimed, pointing to the corner of the room where my stuff was.

Driver came running in and jumped on the bed to lick my face. “Ok, ok! Driver! Stop! I’m getting up!” I laughed and sat up. I looked down to the floor at Josh who was on the floor, starting to gather some of my things. “Your dog is a spaz.” 

Josh didn’t say anything as he continued to put my clothes back into my suitcase. He stopped when he saw the black ring box I brought with me. I heard him let out a deep sigh as he opened it, revealing the 2.5 carat Harry Winston I had only taken off my finger a few days earlier. He set it aside and put the rest of my stuff in the bag. 

“Are you wearing your pajamas to the airport?” He looked at me, wondering if he should zip up the suitcase.  
“No. I’ll change.” I replied.  
“Here.” He set the ring box on the bed. “You’ll probably want to carry that thing with you on the plane.”   
“Thanks.” I gave a half-hearted smile before taking it from him. 

We were pretty silent for the remainder of the time at Josh’s house. I showered quickly and finished packing up my stuff before wheeling my suitcase to Josh’s foyer. The only conversation we had was to decide on where to stop for coffee before he had to drop me off. 

He handed me my triple iced latte from Dunkin Donuts before pulling away from the drive-thru. I had to be careful not to spill any of it because if, God forbid, I got anything on Stella’s seats, he’d kill me. He took a deep breath as we were getting close to the airport terminal.

"You know Rach, I'm not sorry I kissed you last night.”  
“Josh, just stop.” I rolled my eyes and took one last sip of my drink.  
“But I am sorry that I stopped it." He continued, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.  
"So why did you?" I whispered.   
"Come on, you know I can't do that to Lanchen. She’s still my girlfriend." He shook his head as the car came to a stop outside LAX.  
"Lanchen. Right. Yeah I forgot you're a good guy.” I picked up my laptop bag and purse. “Yeah- well you know what? This is really awkward right now. So you go have fun in London and good luck with your movie. We probably shouldn't talk to each other for a while, ok?"  
"Wait, why not?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because Josh! We're best friends! We made out and you have a girlfriend that's why! This can't happen again. I just want to forget that yesterday even happened.” I shouted and slammed his car door, not even caring if I messed up his most prized possession.

“Wait, Rachael. Don’t go like this. Come on. Can’t I have a hug goodbye?” He asked, stepping out of the car and resting his hand on the roof with the door open.  
“No, I’m sorry. Just-I have to go, ok?” I opened the back door and pulled my suitcase out. “Call me when you get back from London.” I waved and went inside.

I could live without seeing or speaking to Josh for a couple months. It’s not like I’ve never done it before. Josh and I always seemed to go through these periods where we didn’t talk for a while, but whenever we saw each other again, it was like not a day had gone by. But I knew that the next time I’d see him, it was going to be awful. I was going to have to spend the next 2 months trying to forget the sweet taste of that boy’s lips pressed against my own. This was going to suck.


	17. Rolling around in the grass

**Rachael: April 26, 2014**

I sat on my computer that morning while I waited for my coffee maker to finish. It was going to be a typical Saturday, I had to get some grocery shopping done, run to the bank, get an oil change and later I had planned to stop by Michelle and Chris’ to see if they needed a hand working on their back deck.

I browsed through a few of my favorite websites and caught up with some old college friends on Facebook and Twitter. I was about to sign off and grab a quick shower when a little black box popped up at the bottom of my screen:

_JHutch1992 wants to Skype  
Accept/Deny_

I gasped when I saw it was him. We hadn’t talked since he dropped me off at the airport after our kiss about a month ago. I didn’t click on anything and got up from the computer and went into the kitchen to fill my favorite Margaritaville mug. When I got back to my computer, I had a new message waiting for me:

_JHutch1992 says:  
Come on. I know you’re there. You just tweeted. I’m not stalking you._

I smiled and sipped my coffee thinking about how to respond, wondering if I looked ok at 9am with my hair still a mess and in my oversized Bengals t-shirt. After I still didn’t respond, another message popped up.

_JHutch1992 says:  
Rachael Wallace, just get on, I’m sure you look fine._

_JHutch1992 wants to Skype  
Accept/Deny_

_How does he always know what I’m thinking even when he’s on the other side of the world?_ I clicked accept and positioned my laptop screen so the camera could capture my face. After a brief second, there he was. He appeared to be in a hotel room and wore sunglasses and a trucker hat.

“Josh you look ridiculous, let me see your face.” I demanded, before even saying hello.  
“Wow, hello to you too.” He took the shades off and positioned his hat so it was resting high on his head. He looked into his screen, I’m assuming to get a better look at me. “Did you cut your hair?”  
I ran my fingers through my hair which was still a mess. “Yeah, when I got home last month, I chopped it off.”  
“Oh, looks nice.” He smiled and his face turned a light shade of pink.  
“Thanks. So how’s London treating you?”  
“So far so good. My mom, dad and Connor came out a couple weeks ago to visit.”

**Josh: April 26, 2014**

“Yeah, your mom told me.” She said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.  
“How’s Cincinnati?” I asked.  
“It’s fine, but I’m moving back to Union soon. My friend is going with me to look at places tomorrow, actually. I can’t afford to rent this place by myself anymore and I really don’t want a roommate.”  
“Oh, cool. Yeah Lanchen just got a place in Beverly Hills right before I left, she’s keeping an eye on Driver while I’m here.” _Probably should have left that part out of the conversation._  
“So that’s still going on, huh?” She raised her eyebrow.  
“Yeah, it is.”  
“Uh-huh, and I’m guessing you didn’t tell her that you kissed me?” She asked, crossing her arms and leaning on her desk.  
“Not exactly.”  
She let out a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. “You have to tell her Josh. I know you don’t need this hanging over your head right now.” She looked away from me at something else on her screen, I’m guessing at the time.. “I have to go. Promise you’ll tell her?”  
“Wait, so are we ok now?”  
“I guess so. Just make sure you tell her what happened.”  
“Alright. Hey, I want to...” Her screen went black. “See you when I get home in a few weeks. Yeah, great. Bye, Rach. So now I’m just sitting here talking to myself like a fucking moron. God dammit.”

**Rachael: May 17, 2014**

I slept in until about 2 in the afternoon and only woke up because Molly was pounding on my front door. Molly would been helping me get into my wedding dress that very day if it wasn’t for a certain person getting cold feet and running out on me. I answered the door and she laughed at the bun that rested on the top of my head and Minnie Mouse pajama shorts and slippers to match.

“Wow. You look fabulous.” She smirked before handing me a box of donuts. “Here, I got you a present. They’re all Boston Cremes, your favorite.  
“I love you!” I whispered and followed her into the kitchen.  
“So today is all yours. I’m here whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.” She proceeded to wash the dishes in the sink that I neglected.  
“Take me out of here. I can’t be cooped up in this house any longer.” Since I already had the week off for what would have been my wedding preparations, I sat around my tiny house all week doing nothing but eating take out and watching the Game Show Network, obviously avoiding the Newlywed Game.

Molly and I spent the day wandering around Cincinnati, just doing typical girl things - shopping, manicures and pedicures, dinner outside with a nice bottle of wine, staring at hot guys. It was what I needed. It completely got my mind off what day it was.

We were walking back to the parking lot where we parked just as the sun was starting to go down over the river. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him. It was Sam. This was the first time I had seen him since we broke up. I was dumbfounded to find him holding the hand of some skinny little blonde. He turned as white as a sheet when he saw me, but called me over anyway.

“Rachael, hey.” He waved.  
“Hi.” I fake smiled to him and his date who looked oddly familiar.  
“You’ve met Allie, haven’t you?” He pointed to her. Then it hit me when she smiled. That was the drunk chick who Josh was hanging all over at Christina’s wedding last year.  
“I think so.” I half heartedly shook her hand.  
“Oh right you two were, uh, oh.” Her smile faded when she realized that when she met Sam, I was the one who was dating him and I had been the one who he was engaged to for almost a year. And I was the one he broke up with just two months prior to our wedding day.

“Yeah. Well, you’re obviously doing well these days. I’m gonna get going because I have a bottle of Jack Daniels waiting for me at the liquor store. This has been a real pleasure, Sam. And so funny! Running into my EX-fiance on what would have been the happiest day of my life. Thank you for calling me over here, really.”

I made Molly drive me to the nearest liquor store so I pick up my date for the night. She argued with me that it wasn’t a good idea, but she told me she’d do anything I wanted. And right then, I needed to drown my sorrows in a bottle of whiskey.

By 11:30, I had downed half the bottle and was having the time of my life. Molly had to go home around 10, so it was just me and my dog, sitting on my front porch, entertaining each other. I took another swig, still cringing at the taste, when a black car pulled into my driveway. I stood up, putting my hand on my rottweiler’s head, in case it was an attacker. I let out a sigh of relief when Cato’s tail started wagging fast as he recognized the visitor’s scent.

“Cato! Come here boy!” Josh basically squealed when he got out of the car and my dog ran up to him, licking his face. Well, as if my day couldn’t get more worse, this guy has to show up.  
Another sip of whiskey and a step down off the porch. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I shouted, then I went down. I tripped over a hole that I had been meaning to fill in the front yard and landed on my ass. I couldn’t help but laugh at my own stupidity and drunkenness. Josh ran over to me to see if I was alright. I laid there for a few minutes, rolling around in the grass and laughing at myself.


	18. Discount shades, store bought tan, flip flops and cut off jeans

**Josh: May 17, 2014**

I ran to Rachael when I saw her trip over something in the yard. She didn’t seem like she was hurt or anything, but I had to check and see. I knelt beside her and watched her roll around and couldn’t help but laugh at how cute she was.

“Are you ok? Look at you! You’re a mess, let’s get you inside.” I held my hand out to help her up, but she just kept laughing. Her mascara was smeared on her face and I’m not sure if it was because she was laughing so hard that she had tears in her eyes or if she had been crying for the majority of the night. My suspicion told me it was the latter.  
“Wait I just need a minute.” She put her hand over her chest and took a few deep breaths as her laughing subsided. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at me hovering over her. “Why are you fucking here Josh?”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit up. “Wow, you really have a way with words when you greet me these days. If you must know, I bought my plane ticket home for your wedding a while ago, and since they wouldn’t let me refund it, I had to use it. So here I am.”  
“But why are you here, here? Like at my house? How do you even know where I live? Stalker.”

I chuckled when she squinted her eyes at me. “Molly called and said you were here alone. She gave me your new address. I debated on whether or not I should even come here because I figured you didn’t want to see me, but I came anyway because I didn’t want you sitting on your porch like a drunken fool all by yourself.” I grabbed the half empty bottle from her hand. “Now let me have some of that.” I took a nice long swig, knowing I had no intentions of leaving that night. “Ahhh good stuff.”

Rachael looked at me in shock before reaching for the bottle. “Hey who said you could steal that?”  
“Uh, uh, uh! No more for you missy. You get angry when you fuck around with Jack Daniels. I don’t want an angry Rachael on my hands.”  
“Well I don’t need whiskey to make me angry, Josh. I’m angry enough just looking at you sitting on my lawn right now.”  
“Aww come on Rach. You can’t stay mad at me for long.” I flashed her my award winning smile, making her cave in.  
“Oh my God I hate you. Do you have to do that to me? My emotions, Josh! Wow, I’m drunk.” She smiled.  
“I know you are. Come on, I want a tour of your house.” I held my hand out for her to stand up, but she pushed it away and managed to get up by herself. Stubborn as usual.  
“Give me that.” She grabbed her bottle from me and took another drink before leading me to the porch. “Garage.” She motioned to the garage on the side of the house before opening her front door.  
“Ok, I figured that. Thank you.” I chuckled and followed her inside.

**Rachael: May 17, 2014**

On the surface, I hated that Josh was in my house. It was my own little sanctuary and now he was invading it with his smile that drove me crazy. The sober Rachael would have told him to leave as soon as he got out of his car, but I was drunk and I didn’t care. Actually, the drunk me liked having him there. Seeing him smile at me made me weak in the knees and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and kiss him again, but I couldn’t. And that’s for one reason: Lanchen.

I sat on the armrest of my couch, watching him saunter around my living room, studying the pictures on the mantle. My eyes traced the pattern on the striped tank top he was wearing that stretched over the muscles on his back, then down to his dark jeans that hugged his ass so perfectly that I just had to take a mental picture of it. He smiled nervously when he caught me staring at him.

“What?”  
I took another drink and set the bottle on the coffee table. “Nothing. I’m glad you’re here.”  
“I am too. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” He said as he put the picture frame he was holding back on the shelf. He could sense I was on the verge of tears and walked to the couch I was sitting on and stood in front of me with his arms out. “Come here.”  
I broke down when my body crashed up against his. He brushed the hair hanging from my shoulders off to the side and inhaled into my neck, ,sending shivers down my spine.

“Oh Rachael, Rachael, Rachael. I hate seeing you like this.” He whispered, rocking me in his arms as I cried.  
“Did Molly tell you we saw him earlier? And you’ll never guess who he was with! Guess!” I exclaimed, beating my hand on his chest.  
“Uhh, Brandon Phillips?” He guessed, trying to stifle a laugh out of me. _Men - always have sports on the brain._  
“No, smartass. Remember the girl you hooked up with at Christina’s wedding? Yeah. He was with her.”  
“Allie? Wow. What a fucking tool. You don’t need that. Maybe it’s time you moved on and start seeing other people.”  
“Yeah maybe. We’ll see.” I said, wiping my eyes. Josh held my face in his hands and looked like he was searching my eyes for something. He opened his mouth to speak but Cato started barking at something in the back yard. I pulled away from Josh to see that Cato was freaking out over a cat that was outside the door. “He’s such a baby.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to Josh who was walking towards the corner of the living room where I had an old guitar on display.

“You still play this?” He asked, pointing at it.  
“Not really anymore. I don’t think I even remember any chords. Wow I’m really fucking drunk. Do you want a pop or something?” I asked, walking up the few steps to my kitchen.  
“Yeah, sure.” He answered with his eyes were still fixated on the guitar.

I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the 2 liter bottle of Pepsi I had and went to the cabinet and grabbed 2 glasses. I just put them on the counter when I heard Josh strum a few chords on the guitar.  
“Did I say you could play that?” I teased and continued pouring.

He didn’t answer and started playing an old familiar song that I hadn’t heard in a while. I turned around with our glasses and felt weak again when I saw him sitting on the edge of a chair, fingering the strings with the guitar sitting on his lap.

“To this day when I hear that song. I see you standin there on that lawn. Discount shades, store bought tan. Flip flops and cut-off jeans. Somewhere between that setting sun. I'm on fire and born to run.” He looked up at me and smiled and I could have fainted right there in my kitchen.  
“You looked at me and I was done. And we're, we're just getting started. I was singin' to you, you were singin' to me. I was so alive, never been more free. Fired up my daddy's lighter and we sang ooohh.”

The smile on my face was about a mile wide as I stood there and watched him sing. He always told people he was a horrible singer, but he was actually really good. He just never liked to sing in public, so he lied when people asked him about it.

“Baby is it spring or is it summer. The guitar sound or the beat of that drummer. You hear sometimes late at night. On your radio. Even though you're a million miles away. When you hear Born in the USA. You relive those glory days. So long ago.”

He turned red when he saw that I had my eyes glued to him and stopped playing.  
“Why’d you stop? I love that song.” I said, walking in the living room and handing him his glass.  
“I don’t know. I don’t like when people watch me.” He shrugged and put the guitar back on its stand.  
“I know you don’t.”

**Josh: May 17, 2014**

**I polished off the bottle of Jack and by the time 2am came along, Rachael and I were incoherent. We stayed up for a while sitting on her living room floor in front of the television eating peanut butter and crackers and watching infomercials about steam mops and Ginsu knives.**

**I said something stupid, but I don’t remember what it was and she shoved me, almost toppling me over. When I sat back up, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to feel her lips on mine again. I had waited so long. They were all I thought about when I was in London. I stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to turn her attention away from the TV. When she finally looked at me, before she could open her mouth, I put my hand behind her neck and crashed my mouth onto hers.  
Her hands crept up onto the sides of my face, then around my neck where she strung her fingers through my hair, driving me crazy. I needed her right then and there. I laid her down on her back as our mouths continued fighting each other. She looked up at me when I pulled away and grasped the front of my shirt.**

**“I don’t know what this is but if something happens tonight, I don’t want to know about it in the morning.” She whispered before pulling me back down.**


	19. Um Houston, we have a little problem here

**Rachael: May 18, 2014**

“Do you want to go upstairs?” Josh asked with his lips on my neck as he grinded his hips up against mine.  
“No. Just do it here. Please. Oh God Josh I need you so bad.” I breathed, running my free hand along his bare back. I arched my back up, allowing him to unclasp my bra and pull it off my chest. I stared up at him as he studied my almost naked body with pure lust in his eyes. I didn’t think twice before I slid my panties off. I didn’t care that he had a girlfriend. I didn’t care that he was my best friend or that we were practically like family, I wanted - no, I needed this more than anything. Josh pulled my thong down the rest of my legs and threw it to the side where my other clothes were.   
“God you’re so fucking beautiful.” He said before removing his last article of clothing - a black pair of Calvin Klein boxer briefs. I lifted my head up to get a good look at what he had going on downstairs.

“Oh fuck.” I threw my head back in amazement when I saw its size. He shot me that fucking smile of his, crawled towards me and started kissing me again. It was all too surreal and I didn’t know if I was dreaming or not when I felt him slide into me. He let out a deep groan and held onto me tight as our bodies became one.

My eyes started stinging as the tears filled my eyes. All the alcohol combined with the pain I was feeling emotionally that day mixed with the fact that I was sleeping with my best friend who had a girlfriend finally took its toll on me. Or maybe I was crying because seeing Josh go in and out of me was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Either way, he stopped and pulled out when he saw the tears roll down my face.

“Rach? Are you ok?” He looked at me with worried eyes. “I’m not hurting you am I? I can slow down.”  
“No. No, keep going. I’m ok, really.” I smiled and Josh held my face in his hands and kissed me a few times before positioning himself to enter me again. He stopped abruptly when he realized that wasn’t going to happen.  
“Shit.” He mumbled to himself, looking down at the space between us. “Um, Houston, we have a little problem here.” He looked back up at me with panic on his face.  
“What?” I asked lifting my head to see that his erection was gone. “Oh. Ut-oh. It’s ok.” I laughed, laying back down. I wasn’t as drunk as earlier in the night, but I was too tipsy to be able to get any pleasure out of this anyway.

**Josh: May 18, 2014**

Rachael and I moved to the couch and she fell asleep a little while after I lost my mojo. Everything was going so well too. If I didn’t drink so much, we’d probably still be having sex, but for some reason, alcohol and my penis didn’t get along very well. I watched her sleep curled up next to me on her couch, wrapped up in the blanket that covered us. I traced the contours of her face and could imagine doing this every day for the rest of our lives.

If I had any balls a few years ago, she would never had met that douchebag Sam and I never would have gotten together with Lanchen. We’d be together and probably on some romantic tropical beach right now. All I wanted to do was wake her up and tell her that I had this need to be with her all the time and that she was on my mind every second of the day, but she looked so peaceful and comfortable laying there in my arms I couldn’t bring myself to wake her up. So I just kissed her forehead a few times before falling asleep.

**Rachael: April 13, 2011**

“Excuse me Rachael, you have a visitor.” Lisa, my receptionist at work, poked her head into my office with a huge starstruck smile on her face as I was finishing an email.  
 _If it’s him, I’ll scream. I swear._ I pushed my desk chair out and let out a huge sigh as I got up, bracing myself for the annoyance that was Josh Hutcherson.

He shot me a sly grin as I walked into the lobby of my office building.  
“You look suspicious this afternoon, Joshua. What can I help you with? I know you’re not interested in taking out any advertising.”  
“This is the last time I’m asking. Please will you come with us?” He put his hands together and gave me the ever-convincing sad puppy dog eyes. “Come on, you need a vacation anyways. Please Rachael? All expenses paid. It’s just a week, then you can come home with my parents and Connor.”  
I looked at this desperate boy standing in my workplace, stopping at nothing to get me to go to Hawaii with him and his parents while he was there shooting the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth. After the millionth time of him asking, I finally agreed. I thought he’d do a cartwheel after I said I’d go. My boss wasn’t too happy that I was going to be gone a week, but she thought Josh was sexy (cougar) so she let me go in hopes that I’d hook up with him after a night of drinking too many strawberry daiquiris and come back to spill all the details.

**Josh: May 11, 2011**

We arrived in Hawaii a couple days ago and my parents, Connor and Rachael got to see some of the sites while I went straight to work. We met up for dinner after we wrapped shooting for the day at a great restaurant that was right on the beach. My mom and Rachael sat on the patio after we ate and my dad, Connor and I goofed around in the sand trying to look for crabs.

“Rachael get over here! Look at this!” I called her over to the beach and pointed to a huge crab that was sitting in a hole in the sand, staring at me with its beady little eyes. She screamed when she saw it staring at her.  
“Ewww gross! Get it away!” She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the hole.  
“Don’t be such a girl! Look at him, he’s so cute!” My dad picked the crab up and held it out for her, but she shook her head and kept telling him to get it away. “Hun, look at this thing!” My dad walked it over to the restaurant to show my mom and Connor followed so he could see her reaction.  
“Don’t be such a baby, Rach. It was just a little crab, it can’t hurt you.”  
“Are you blind? That thing was huge!”  
“That’s what she said.” I blurted, earning a smack on the arm.  
“No, Josh. That joke stopped being funny 4 years ago.”

I looked around and noticed we were the only two on the little beach in front of the restaurant. My parents and Connor were looking at the dessert menu. Rachael looked beautiful in her yellow sundress that brought out the golden tones of her newly tanned skin. _You’ve done this before, just say it, just like you practiced. ‘Hey Rachael I’m in love with you and we should date because we’re both single and I’m legal now.’_

“Hey, Rach.” I choked.  
“Yeah?” She turned away from the ocean and smiled at me and I suddenly forgot what I was going to say.  
“Uh...lets go put our feet in the water.” _Chicken shit._  
“No, Josh! It’s gonna be cold!”  
“Are you fucking kidding me? It’s Hawaii for crying out loud. You’re going in don’t make me make you.” I threatened, narrowing my eyes at her.  
“You wouldn’t.” She smiled, shaking her head.  
“No? I wouldn’t?” I cocked my head to the side. “Get over here!” I ran after her and picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder and put her down in the water.  
“Josh!” She whined and kicked water at me.  
“Rach!” I replied, splashing her back.

“Josh? Is that you?” I was about to give Rachael an ‘I’m sorry’ hug when I heard the familiar voice from my co-star, Vanessa.


	20. You have stolen my heart

**Rachael: May 18, 2014**

The sound of Freddie Mercury’s voice blaring from the radio in my kitchen woke me up out of a dead sleep. I somehow wound up on my couch and my clothes were on the other side of the living room. Sure, I remember sort of sleeping with Josh last night but my memory was very vague. Noting the empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the coffee table, I knew I’d be feeling shitty that day.

“I gotta be cool relax, get hip  
Get on my tracks  
Take a back seat, hitch-hike  
And take a long ride on my motorbike  
Until I'm ready  
Crazy little thing called love”

I sat up when I heard the sound of Josh’s voice singing along with Crazy Little Thing Called Love and looked towards the kitchen. He was turned away from me, stirring something in a bowl and wearing nothing but his boxers. I had to rest my head on the back of the couch because I was feeling a little dizzy watching him shake his ass along to the beat of Roger Taylor’s drums.

I let a laugh slip out, catching his attention. He spun around and smirked at me when he saw I was watching him.   
“Hey, you’re up!” He exclaimed, turning back towards the counter.  
“Uh, yeah. Thanks to you and Freddie.” I responded, rubbing my eyes. 

Josh nodded his head and let out a little laugh. I scooted off the couch and stood up with the blanket still wrapped around me. I didn’t want Josh to see me naked in the daylight. I know we had sex but he was also piss drunk last night and it was different lighting then. People look a lot different the morning after. But not Josh. Josh still looked damn good. I glanced over at him again and he was now dancing to Hot Blooded by Foreigner. _Take a mental picture of this, Rach. He’s too cute right now._

“Now it's up to you, we can make a secret rendezvous  
Just me and you, I'll show you lovin like you never knew  
That's why, I'm hot blooded, check it and see  
I got a fever of a hundred and three  
Come on baby, do you do more than dance?”

“How do you have so much energy this morning?” I questioned, making my way to my pile of clothes.  
“I don’t know, I woke up and felt this sense of, uh, what’s the word...freedom? Ambition? I don’t know, I felt a lot of things.” He laughed nervously.  
“Well, I’m feeling hungover and I need some Tylenol pronto.” I sighed, gathering my clothes and walking up the couple steps to my kitchen. “What on earth are you making?” I asked, seeing that he was on his tiptoes, rummaging through my spice cabinet.

“None of your business.” He sank onto his heels and noticed my lovely blanket-dress. “What are we shy all of a sudden? Not like I didn’t see you last night.” He gave me a little wink before pulling out my large container of cinnamon.  
“That wasn’t me last night. I drank too much. And when I drink too much, my clothes end up falling off.”  
Josh smirked as he poured cinnamon into the bowl in front of him. “Well, then you should drink more often.”  
“Uh, thanks.” I responded awkwardly. “Ok, I need to go put clothes on. This is too weird.” And with that I moseyed upstairs and took a long hot shower, attempting to wash away the regret I was feeling. Whether he finished or not, his penis still went inside of me. That counts as cheating and I refused to be the other woman. If Josh brought up last night at all, I’d just change the subject. We had lot of other things we could talk about anyway.

**Josh: May 18, 2014**

I put the bacon in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes while Rachael took a shower. I went in the living room and slipped on my jeans and tank top. I would have liked to spend the whole day walking around in my underwear, but there’s a line you have to draw at some point. Plus, I was supposed to hang out with Connor that afternoon before my flight back to London that night, so I couldn’t stay long even though I wanted to.

I lost my phone at some point in the night and was on a mission to find it. I went outside to look in the yard, searched my car, checked the kitchen, but it was nowhere to be found. Rachael came down a few minutes later with her hair wrapped in a towel and she had on a pair of shorts and a little purple tank top and looked beautiful as always. She furrowed her eyebrows under her glasses as she walked passed me, making a b-line for the cabinet in the kitchen that held a bottle of Tylenol.

She grabbed my glass of orange juice from the counter and took a long gulp after she slid the two pills onto her tongue. “Ugh it smells amazing in here.” She said as she put the glass back down.  
“Thanks, I didn’t shower yet though.” I joked, trying to get her to smile.  
“I meant the bacon smarty pants. Unless YOU smell like bacon, then I’d have to ask you to marry me right now.” She blushed.  
“I’d be alright with that.” I smirked and walked past her to pull the french toast batter out of the fridge. Rachael sat down at her kitchen table and sorted through a stack of mail.

“So much junk! Stop people, I don’t want your stupid credit cards!” She complained, ripping up a few envelopes and smiled when she saw me looking at her. She was doing everything in her power to avoid the subject of last night. I wasn’t going to mention it because she asked me not to before we started doing anything. “Sorry, I hate this crap. So when do you have to leave?” The look on her face told me she wanted me to stay for as long as I possibly could.

“I fly back tonight at 6.” I answered and turned around to the stove.  
“Oh.” The disappointment in her voice killed me. “Do you need a ride to the airport?”  
“No, my mom’s taking me. Actually after I make you breakfast, I have to go home. I told Connor we’d hang out today before I have to leave.”  
“Aww you two are something else.” 

I flipped the french toast over and opened the oven to check on the bacon. Not quite done yet. Rachael liked it extra crispy. “Hey you haven’t seen my phone anywhere have you?” I asked, closing the door.  
“No I have not.” She answered, not looking up from her catalog. “Call it, use my phone its on the table by the front door. I’ll see if I can hear it.” _Shit. I hope she doesn’t find it._

**Rachael: May 18, 2014**

“Thanks, I didn’t shower yet though.” Josh remarked, stifling a smile out of me.  
“I meant the bacon smarty pants. Unless YOU smell like bacon, then I’d have to ask you to marry me right now.” _Oh God what the fuck did I just say? I want Josh to smell like bacon? No, weirdo. ‘I’d have to ask you to marry me?’ No, if by some twist of fate we ever got together and could stand each other long enough to the point where he’d want to pop the question, HE’D be the one to do it._  
“I’d be alright with that.” He smirked at me and went to my refrigerator. I had to sit down and not look at him. This boy put a spell on me so that every time he opened his mouth, I either felt butterflies in my stomach or felt dizzy. I rifled through a stack of bills and junk mail on the kitchen table.

“So much junk! Stop people, I don’t want your stupid credit cards!” I shouted to the folks at Capital One and Discover as if they could hear me. I smiled at Josh who turned around to look at me cursing the credit card gods. “Sorry, I hate this crap. So when do you have to leave?” I asked, hoping he’d say never. _Just stay with me today. We don’t even have to touch each other, I just need to be around you._

“I fly back tonight at 6.” He answered and turned around to the stove.  
“Oh. Do you need a ride to the airport?”  
“No, my mom’s taking me. Actually after I make you breakfast, I have to go home. I told Connor we’d hang out today before I have to leave.” _Those two, my little monsters. Attached at the hip._ I used to call Connor and Josh my little monsters when I’d have to babysit them when they were really little. They were demon children.  
“Aww you two are something else.” 

Josh opened up the oven, letting the mouth-watering smell of bacon fill the room. “Hey you haven’t seen my phone anywhere have you?” He asked, closing the oven door.  
“No I have not.” I answered, flipping through the catalog on the table, trying not to look at him. “Call it, use my phone its on the table by the front door.” I pointed to the hallway and stood up. “I’ll see if I can hear it.”

Josh shuffled towards the front door and picked up my phone. He held it up to his ear, expecting someone to answer. I went into the living room, trying to listen for some sort of ringing. I stopped in my tracks and my heart started beating a mile a minute when I heard it.

“We watch the season pull up its own stakes  
And catch the last weekend of the last week  
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,  
Another sun soaked season fades away  
You have stolen my heart  
You have stolen my heart”

I dug my hand in between the couch cushions, pulling out Josh’s phone and held my free hand up to my face to try to cool my burning cheeks. I looked down at the screen and was mortified at the picture he had stored with my contact information.

He walked into the living room with my phone still up to his ear as the timer on the oven was going off and I held the screen up to his face.  
“Where on earth did you get this picture?” I asked, trying to refrain from asking about why that song came up when I called. Maybe he really liked Dashboard Confessional and had that ringtone set for everyone. Who knows?  
“Took it from your Facebook. How could I not? Look how adorable you were!” He chuckled at the screen and hung my phone up.  
“Well, it was the 90s, that was the cool thing to wear. But seriously, Joshua. You need to delete that from your phone.” The only thing was, I didn’t care about the picture, I needed him to delete that song off his phone.


	21. You need to get on that horse again girl

**Josh: May 18, 2014**

Rachael and I exchanged phones and I slipped mine in my pocket before going back to the kitchen. She was pretty quiet while she ate, I figured she didn’t want to say much because her head still hurt. But she finally spoke up when she got up to rinse her plate.

“Is that the ringtone you set for me?” She asked, looking out her kitchen window as she turned the faucet off.   
“What?” I asked, mid-chew.  
“Stolen, is that my own ringtone?” She asked again, looking at me and backing me into an imaginary corner.  
“Uh, yeah. Why?”   
“Why that song Josh?”  
I got up and carried my plate to the sink and handed it to her. “I dunno, it just reminds me of you I guess.” I answered with a shrug.  
“Oh.” She smiled wide. “I like that song.” Her smile faded when she saw Cato digging a hole in the backyard. “Dammit Cato!” She started for the back door, but on a whim, I grabbed her arm to stop her, backing her up against the kitchen counter. 

“Rach, wait.” I rubbed her cheek with my thumb and wanted to kiss her so bad, but seeing Cato out of the corner of my eye distracted me. “Cato! Knock it off!” I yelled out the window to him. He stopped digging and looked at me before running for the door. I opened my mouth to speak, but Rachael knew what I was going to say and shook her head. 

“We can’t avoid this all morning, you know.”  
“What we did was bad, Josh. I mean it was good, but it was wrong. And that’s all I’m saying about it. I have to go let the beast in.” She pulled my hand off her arm and went to let Cato inside.

“I hate that you’re so stubborn. You get your way again. We won’t talk about it, not right now at least. But one of these days, we’re talking about this.” I surrendered, hoping she’d change her mind and face the fact that yes, we slept together, no matter how much we tried to avoid it, that is what happened. 

We sat in Rachael’s backyard for a while after we cleaned up the kitchen and before long, Connor called and asked where I was. “I guess I have to get going now.” I sighed as I hung up.  
“I’m still mad at you, you know.” She ranted.   
“For what?”   
“For a lot of things. Reasons you won’t understand. But I’m mostly mad because you came here last night, got me drunk and....”

“You were already drunk to begin with. And I know for a fact that you aren’t mad at me. Don’t think I can’t see through that frown. That smile is coming, you can’t fight it. Where is it Rachael?” The corner of her lips turned upwards and she was still fighting to keep a frown on her face. “Oh there it is! There’s that smile!” 

“Would you get out of here already? Jeeze. I’m so sick of your face.” She waved me towards the door and I stood up, stretching my legs.  
“Fine, I’ll go. But only because I have to. I’d stay here and annoy you all day if I could.”  
“It wouldn’t take all day for you to annoy me. You started annoying me the second your car pulled into my driveway last night.”  
“Ok, yeah, nice seeing you too, miss grumpy.” I patted her back and dug my keys out of my pocket. “Bye Cato.” I bent down and scratched the top of his head before opening the back door.

“Josh wait a second.” Rachael blurted and got up from her chair.   
“Yeah?” I turned around just as she was walking towards me. “What do _you_ want?”   
Her hands landed on my shoulders. “I’m actually really glad you came here.” She smiled, pulling me in for a hug.  
“I’d do anything for you Rach, you know that, right?” I responded, putting my arms around her waist.  
I felt her nod against my shoulder and she pulled away and looked at me before kissing me on the lips just once. “I miss you already.” She whispered.   
“I know you do. I miss you too.” I ruffled the hair sitting on top of her head and pinched her cheek before going inside.

**Rachael: May 18, 2014**

Josh was driving me crazy. He always knew how to push my buttons and got a rise out of it when I got pissed off at him. “Would you get out of here already? Jeeze. I’m so sick of your face.” I motioned towards the door, in an effort to kick him out, even though I really didn’t want him to go.  
“Fine, I’ll go. But only because I have to. I’d stay here and annoy you all day if I could.” _I wish you would._  
“It wouldn’t take all day for you to annoy me. You started annoying me the second your car pulled into my driveway last night.” It was true, that boy had a way of easily getting under my skin.  
“Ok, yeah, nice seeing you too, miss grumpy.” He gave me a pat on the back and got his keys out before saying bye to Cato. Before I could let him leave, I had to make sure he knew how much it meant to me that he came over.

“Josh wait a second.”  
“Yeah?” He stopped and held the door open with his arm. “What do _you_ want?”   
I grabbed his shoulders. “I’m actually really glad you came here.” I confessed, wrapping my arms around him.  
“I’d do anything for you Rach, you know that, right?” He said with his mouth against my neck, making me want to rip my clothes off.  
With my body heat about a million degrees, I pulled away and looked at his lips. I knew it was wrong but I had to kiss him again. “I miss you already.” I told him after I pulled away.  
“I know you do. I miss you too.” He messed up my hair and pinched my cheek before going inside, leaving me all alone again. 

**Rachael June 12, 2014**

I anxiously tapped my pen on the conference table for the last 15 minutes of this completely boring and pointless meeting. I was back in LA for my monthly visit and all I could think about was what Josh was doing. He was still wrapping up his film in London and we talked a few times since he left Union, but all the Skyping and talking on the phone didn’t measure up to actually seeing him in person. 

I was excited to see Heather that night for dinner. I hadn’t told anyone about what happened between Josh and I when he visited me in Union and I was dying to get it off my chest. Heather picked me up around 7 and we went to this sushi restaurant that she goes to a lot. 

“So I heard Michelle tried setting you up with someone. How’d that go?” She asked after we sat down. A few days after Josh left Union, his mom called me up and said she wanted me to meet someone because she was tired of seeing me mope around. I went on a few dates with this pretty nice, decent looking guy that she knew through Connor’s soccer league. 

“Oh, yeah. Brian. He’s sort of nice I guess. I’m not looking for anything serious right now, I just went out with him a few times because Michelle basically made me.”  
“Well that’s good you’re at least getting back out there.” We ordered our food and drinks and caught up on what was new in our lives while we waited for our dinner.

The waiter set our plates down and I was about to take a bite of sushi when I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I slept with Josh.” I blurted, making Heather almost spit her rice out at me.   
“Did you just say what I think you just said?”   
I set my chopsticks down on the side of my plate. “He flew to Kentucky around this time last month because it was supposed to be my wedding day. He came to my house and I had been drinking a lot that night and he started drinking too and long story short, we ended up sleeping together.”

Heather’s eyes were about to bug out of her face. “Wow! And why haven’t you told me this before?”  
“Because it was wrong, what we did shouldn’t have happened, and I wish I could take it back.”  
“Why? Are you insane? You slept with Josh, there’s nothing wrong about that. Shit if I had sex with him, I wouldn’t ever take it back.” She said, taking a bite of sushi.  
“Um, hello! Earth to Heather! Josh has a girlfriend. He sort of cheated on her and I was the other woman. Where have you been during this conversation?”  
“Um Earth to Rachael, where have YOU been for the last like 2 months? Josh is single. Jeeze, you’re his best friend, one would think you know that little detail about him.”

“Hold the phone. WHAT?” I slammed my hand down on the table, causing a few restaurant patrons to look up from their food.  
“Seriously, you had no idea? He broke up with her a little after he got to London. I guess he told her the timing wasn’t right and he was sick of her lying to him and blah, blah, blah. Stupid drama, you know how that goes.”  
“Oh my God. Wow. I could kill him for not telling me.”  
“So you didn’t do anything wrong! You need to get on that horse again girl.”  
“No, are you crazy? I can’t. I can’t! It’s Josh for crying out loud. No.” I argued, searching for a million reasons why I shouldn’t sleep with him again.  
“Yeah Rachael, it’s JOSH. If you don’t go after him, someone will.”


	22. You'd be a cute Hulk though

**Rachael: June 24, 2014**

I was sitting in a meeting going over a few contract details with one of my company’s clients when I got three text messages one after the other. I had to wait until after it was over to look. 

After I got back from LA and after Heather told me about Josh, I decided to cool it on him for a while. I know most girls would pounce on him the second they found out he was single, but I had to get my feelings all sorted out. I was still pretty upset about Sam seeing someone. Michelle convinced me that I should take another chance with Brian, so trusting her judgement, I went out with him a couple more times and actually had a nice time. He said he was going to be getting in touch with me today to make plans for another date, so I figured he was the one texting me.

When my meeting ended, I shook my clients’ hands and hurried back to my office so I could check my phone.

_Josh: Rachael  
Josh: Hellooooooo?????  
Josh: Answer me!!_

I texted back right away.

_Me: What do you want?  
Josh: Can you get on skype right now?  
Me: I’m working, no  
Me: And why aren’t you sleeping isn’t it only 7 there?  
Josh: I just woke up and I want to see you   
Josh: Please??? Can’t you get on at lunch or something?  
Me: UGH you’re a pain in my ass Hutch  
Me: I’ll get on at 12:30  
Josh: :)_

I closed my office door so that I wouldn’t be interrupted and checked myself in the mirror, fixing my hair and smoothing out my blouse. I went to my computer and took a bite of the sandwich I had and logged onto Skype and sent Josh an invitation. I took another bite of my lunch and within a few minutes, he popped up on the screen, looking fine as usual. 

We had only spoken to each other a few times since he left Union and our conversations were usually pretty short so I never really got to ask him why he never told me about being single. It would have saved me a lot of trouble, and tears, if he had just told me so I didn’t have to end up feeling like a cheap slut after we slept together.

“Ahhh there she is!” He smiled into the screen.   
“Hello Josh.” I replied sternly. _Fucking life ruiner. Why do you have to be gorgeous all the damn time? It’s going to be impossible to focus on work for the rest of the day now._ When I saw him, all I could think about was how bad I needed to taste his lips again. How my body temperature rose a few degrees every time he touched me. How I turned into a puddle of goo when he told me he'd do anything for me. I was falling, hard and fast. Screw all those thoughts about it being wrong to feel this way about someone I’ve known for so long.

“Wow, what crawled up your ass and died this morning?” He sat back in his seat, observing my facial expression.  
“I have a bone to pick with you, Joshua Ryan.”  
“Oh shit, Joshua Ryan. Now I know I’m in trouble. What did I do now?”  
“I saw Heather a couple weeks ago.”  
“Ok. And how does that make me in trouble?” He cocked an eyebrow.   
“How am I the last one to know that you and Lanchen broke up?” I sat back, crossing my arms across my chest and watched Josh’s reaction. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms and took in a big breath.

**Josh: June 24, 2014**

“Ugh, why does it even matter Rach?”  
“Joshua!” She shouted, then realized where she was and lowered her voice. “Josh, because we slept together and the whole time I thought you two were still dating. You could have told me.”  
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you.”  
“You open up your mouth and speak. That’s how you tell me. Not that hard.” 

Actually, it was hard. I couldn’t think of the right way to actually come out and say it. The topic of Lanchen never came up when I was at her house. I didn’t even want to utter her name around Rachael, because I know how much she couldn’t stand Lanchen. So I let it go for a while and figured she’d find out I was single eventually. I didn’t think she’d get mad at me for not telling her.

“Well I ended things a little while after I got to London, actually after you and I Skyped.” Actually, it was right after I got off of Skype with Rachael. 

“After I saw you that day, Rach, I realized that I actually wanted to....” _Be with you. Fan-fucking-tastic._

Rachael’s phone started ringing before I could finish. “I’m sorry Josh, I need to take this, do you mind?” She apologized at the screen.

“Yeah, go ahead.” I sat back in my chair, figuring she was talking to a client or something.  
She got up from her chair and I saw her walk around the room talking to someone apparently named Brian. She had a big smile on her face when she said “Tonight? But it’s a school night you can’t have me out too late!” She laughed like she was practically throwing herself at the guy. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Ok, you talked me into it. Pick me up at 7. Ok. Bye.”

She sat back down and regained her composure, putting her phone down next to her on the desk.  
“Sorry about that.”   
I leaned my arms back on the desk. “Who’s your date for the night?”  
“Nobody Josh, just forget it.” She shook her head.  
“Didn’t sound like nobody. ‘Oh you can’t take me out on a school night. Tee hee hee.’” I mocked, probably digging my own grave.  
“Fine if you must know, your mom set me up with this guy and we’ve gone out a few times.”  
“My mother set you up?” _Note to self: thank mom later for ruining any chances I could have had with Rachael. Lost her again._  
“Yeah, actually. He’s a pretty nice guy. Don’t worry, I don’t plan on running off and marrying him.” She joked, but it actually killed me to know she was going on a date with someone.   
“Oh well isn’t that great. So are we ever gonna talk about what happened in Union?” I asked, trying to change the subject of her date.

**Rachael: June 24, 2014**

I studied Josh’s face for a moment, taking a deep breath. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, and it’s certainly nothing I wanted to talk about over Skype and while I was at work, nonetheless.   
“Rach, come on. We need to talk about this. It’s killing me.” He pled as he looked directly into the camera lense as if it was my eyes.

“When are you coming home? I don’t want to talk about it here.” I sighed.  
“In a couple weeks, I’ll be home for a few days before I have to go to Charlotte to shoot the last part of Mockingjay. Can we talk or hang out or something then?”  
I suddenly knew the next couple weeks in anticipation of seeing him were going to be pure torture.   
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I looked at the clock and almost forgot I had another meeting to run off to. “I gotta go. Call me when you get in.”  
“Will do. Have fun on your little date.” He said it like it was a knife stabbing me through the heart.   
“Thanks, Josh. I’ll try.” _And probably think of you the whole time._

Brian picked me up at 7 on the dot in his F-150. He worked in downtown Cincinnati at a bank but was a country boy at heart. His family owned a farm not far from Union and he was always working there when he wasn’t doing his day job. He was your typical gentleman and had nothing but wonderful things to say about his family and friends. He was a great catch - any girl would be lucky to snag him. 

He took me to The Melting Pot - a wonderful fondue restaurant in Cincinnati where we talked about our lives over melted cheese and an assortment of meats on skewers. We landed on the subject of exes, figuring it was like our 5th date so it was acceptable to talk about that. I shared with him the horror stories of the men of my past and he ranted about his crazy ex girlfriends - one actually pulled a Carrie Underwood and slashed the side of his old car.

“But it’s so weird because I never actually cheated on her, she was just a psycho.” He said, wiping his mouth with his napkin.  
“Wow, I never had anyone do that, but my friend Josh dated this girl who wrote a really nasty song about his mother. She recorded it too. And made, I’m guessing about 5 cents from it because she’s a terrible singer.”  
“Seriously? Wow, that’s a little overboard.”

“Yeah I can’t even talk about it because I’ll just go off and then you’ll think I’m The Hulk or something.” I started clenching my fists under the table because just the thought of what “she who shall remain nameless (stupid fucking name anyway)” did to the entire Hutcherson family really irked me. That was the only time I got so mad that I actually cried over it. She was too chicken shit to face me afterwards too. She saw Andre and I eating lunch at this restaurant in LA not long after we all discovered her song and as soon as she saw us, she did a 180 and walked away.   
Brian laughed at my superhero comment. “You’d be a cute Hulk though, green would match your eyes very nicely.”  
“Thanks.” I blushed, forgetting about ‘you know who’. “So where to next?”  
Brian was taken aback at my question. I didn’t really want to end the night already, I was having a great time, so after he paid the bill, he drove us back to Union so I could see the cows on his farm. 

“What do you think?” Brian asked after showing me around.  
“It’s great, but the smell is sort of getting to me.” I said, covering my nose with my jacket sleeve.  
“Eh, you get used to it after a while.” He said, closing the gate on one of the fences and walking towards me. “So, um, do you think it would be weird if I wanted to kiss you right now?”   
“No, not at all. I was wondering when you were going to make your move.” I joked. He leaned down and tilted my chin up and pressed his lips to mine. You’d think I would see sparks or feel something, but there was only one thing on my mind the second I felt his lips on mine - how badly I wished those lips belonged to Josh.


	23. Hotter than the devil's blue ballsack

**Josh: July 25, 2014**

When the plane touched down, I immediately sent Rachael a text saying I was home. She shot one back right away with a picture of herself smiling. It read: _This is my excited face! Can’t wait to see you!! :)_

After taking a few pictures with some adoring fans who stopped me at the baggage claim and complimented me on my newly blonde hair, I met my mom and Connor. The drive to Union was a nerve-wrecking one. I was silent the whole 20 minutes, thinking about what I was going to say to Rachael when I saw her. How do you tell someone you’ve known for 18 years that you have feelings for them? This was going to suck, but it couldn’t weigh me down anymore. I was going to tell her.

“Ok, I have to go meet Amanda, do you want to come?” My mom asked after I dropped my bags in my room.  
“No, thanks. I’m tired, I’m just going to relax. I’ll call her later though.”  
“Alright, we’ll be back in a little while. We’re having chicken for dinner tonight so don’t eat anything.”

As soon as they left I sent Rachael a text.  
 _Me: Get your butt over here!  
Rachael: On my way! See you in 10! :)_

Her car pulled into the driveway 11 minutes later. I was crazy for counting, but I was so anxious, I couldn’t help it. I figured she’d let herself in so I casually sat on the couch in front of the TV and acted surprised when she walked in.

“Honey I’m home!” She hollered through the house as she shut the front door.  
I strolled into the foyer with my hands in my pockets and greeted her back. “Hello dear!”  
“You’re blonde!” She exclaimed with a smile.  
“I am blonde.” I repeated.  
“Looks good.” She dropped her purse on the floor and immediately wrapped her arms around my neck. I took a deep breath, getting lost in the way she smelled.

“Its so nice and cool in here! I swear it’s hotter than the devil’s blue ballsack outside!” She pointed out as she pulled away from me.   
“Blue ballsack?” I responded with a chuckle.  
“Yeah, what other color would it be?” She laughed and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea from the fridge.  
“You just might be the weirdest person I know!” I followed her, scratching the back of my head.  
“Yup, but you love me for it!” She said with a smile and took a big gulp of iced tea. _I think I love you for reasons other than that._

“So how’s, uh, what’s his name? The new guy?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t think I was some kind of stalker.  
“What new guy?” She narrowed her eyes at me and took another sip of iced tea.  
“That guy my mom set you up with.”  
She almost spit her drink out. “Oh that? Oh no, Brian - he wasn’t anything special.” She waved her hand away at the thought of him.  
“So you flushed that one down the toilet, huh?”  
“Yeah, you could say that.” She chuckled.

“Oh, hey, I found something earlier, it’s downstairs, do you want to see? You’re going to laugh!”  
“Sure!” She set her glass down on the counter and we went downstairs to my room.

**Rachael: July 25, 2014**

“Wow when was the last time I was down here? It’s been a while!” I declared while glancing around Josh’s old bedroom. I walked over to the ever famous wall of shoes. “Ahhh the famous Josh Hutcherson shoe collection. Let me ask you, why are these still here? Shouldn’t you bring them back to LA with you?” I pointed to the dozens of shoes on the shelving unit.  
“Because these are special shoes. I don’t wear these. I just like to have them to look at.”  
I shook my head. “I don’t understand you sometimes, if you were a girl, I’d be really afraid of you, just saying.”

Josh walked over to his desk and pulled a photo off the cork board on the wall and studied it for a minute. “Here.” He handed it to me, and it gave me the biggest laugh I had in a while. It was from my 12th birthday party, Josh was 6 and Connor was 4. My friends and I thought it would be a good idea to get out the Halloween makeup and paint Connor and Josh’s faces up like zombies and try to teach them how to do the Thriller dance. When Connor saw his brother when we were done with him, he cried to his mom. We all got in trouble that night, but it was so much fun.

“Oh man! That was seriously the best! We tortured you poor kids! I’m sorry!”  
“Yup, that was a long long time ago.” Josh replied, sitting on the edge of his bed. I put the photo back on the wall and leaned on the desk, looking at a few of the other pictures he had hanging up.  
Josh cleared his throat. “Rach, how long have we known each other?”  
I stood up and turned to face him. “Uhh, let’s see you guys moved here when I was 10 I think, so like 18 years.”

“Wow, that’s a long time to know someone.” He responded.  
“Yeah, you’ve been stuck with me almost your entire life, Josh! How do you feel about that?”  
“A little annoyed, actually.” He joked.  
“Hey, thanks a lot!” I tossed a wadded up napkin at him.  
“Will you come over here for a second?” He asked, patting the seat next to him. I saw the nervous look in his eyes and knew what was coming. 

When I sat down, he cleared his throat, something he does a lot when he’s nervous. “We have to talk about what happened the last time I was home.”   
“I know.” I sighed, looking down at the comforter on the bed.  
“What happened that night, that wasn’t because we were drunk, was it?” He asked. I swallowed hard like I was on trial.   
“No. I don’t think so.”   
“There’s something happening here, isn’t there?” He asked, pointing to the short distance between us. I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me and continued.

“Do you know that every girlfriend I ever had, I’ve always compared to you?”  
“What?” My heart rate was that of someone who just got done sprinting 10 miles.  
“Yeah, once I realize they’ll never measure up to you, I break things off with them and move on to the next girl. So it’s like a never ending battle trying to find someone exactly like you. The first thing I want to do whenever I come home is see you, because I miss you whenever you’re not around.”  
“Oh Josh.” I smiled, putting my hand over my heart to try to slow it down.  
“And I have to tell you before I go crazy....that I have feelings for you. And I have for like the last 6 years.”

I felt my face getting hotter with every word that came out of his mouth. I was speechless and I couldn’t look him in the eye so I traced the stitching on the comforter with my finger. I knew he always had a little crush on me, and he solidified that when he kissed me the first time, but here he was, pouring his heart out and literally left me with no words. I didn’t know how I was supposed to respond. 

He spoke up. “Will you please say something?”  
I looked up at him, noting the desperation in his voice. “I don’t know what to say, Josh. Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”  
“Because I’ve either been too afraid to say anything or you were always seeing someone when I actually had the balls to tell you. And then after we slept together, I wasn’t sure how to tell you or if I should even tell you at all because I wasn’t sure if you felt anything too or if it was just because you were upset about Sam.”  
“Oh.” I looked back down at the comforter as the memories I had with Josh over the last 18 years flashed before my eyes.  
“That’s all you can say?” He asked, tilting his head down to look at my eyes which were still stuck on the bed.

**Josh: July 29, 2014**

“I don’t know what to say. This is all really weird. I just feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something because I never thought you and I would be having this conversation. We don’t talk about this kind of stuff.”

I put my other hand on top of hers. “You’re my best friend, Rachael, but I...”  
“You want to be more than that.” She finished my sentence and I nodded in agreement.  
“Can we give this a shot? Will you be my girlfriend?”  
Rachael let out a sigh and I could tell she was thinking hard. “I don’t want to lose 18 years if this doesn’t end up working out, Josh.”

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s impossible for anything to come between our friendship. I promise. And it will work out, you know.”  
“Yeah, how do you know that?” She smiled.  
“Because there’s no one else I’d rather be with than you.” I replied, taking her hand and lacing our fingers together. I stared at her lips, then back to her eyes, then her lips again. I had to taste them again, even if she ended up saying no. I leaned in and pressed my lips onto hers. I was hesitant to pull away because I didn’t want her to smack me, but when I did, I was relieved when she smiled and brushed her finger over her bottom lip. 

She pulled me in close by the collar of my shirt and kissed me again, this time more forcefully and scooted closer to me. It was like everything made sense in the world and there was no where else I would have chosen to be.  
“So is that like a yes, then?” I asked in between kisses.


	24. Well praise the lord, finally!

**Rachael: July 29, 2014**

“You bet it is!” Was all that came out before I had to kiss him again. My boyfriend. I had to kiss my boyfriend again. It was so weird thinking that I was now dating Joshy Hutcherson. The little boy who was only 3 when I first laid eyes on him was now my boyfriend. Through the years we had always treated each other like brother and sister, now we were a couple. It took me a while to wrap my head around it. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.” He whispered as he strung his hands through my hair and kissed me again. “Do you know how happy I am now that this is all real?” His hand brushed my cheek, and with that simple movement and his words, I was a puddle of goo.   
“I’m happy too.” I smiled and kissed him again. 

He pulled me down on the bed with him so that I was laying with my head on his chest. We were silent for a minute, listening to each other’s breathing. I was content laying in his arms and feeling his chest move up and down with every breath as he ran his hands through my hair. But fear struck every nerve in my body when I heard the garage door open upstairs. 

“Um, Josh?” I asked, looking up at him.  
“Yes, girlfriend? Babe? Sweetie? What do I call you?” He asked, squeezing me tight, making me have a hot flash.  
I laughed. “I don’t know, babe is fine.”  
“Ok. Yes, babe?”  
“You know we have to tell people we’re dating now, right?”  
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed.  
“And you know that those people include your parents? And my dad?”  
“Yup.”  
“And you realize that they’ll kill us?” I asked, sitting up and looking down at him.   
“They won’t kill us!” He let out a chuckle and sat up next to me. “They’ll be shocked, but I think they’ll be happy about it. You know my parents love you, and your dad and I are pretty tight. Now get back down here.” He laid back down and pulled me with him, turning my face so it met his. His warm soft lips hit mine again and sent tingles through my whole body. 

Josh started to climb on top of me, but I knew Michelle would be looking for me when she saw my car in the driveway.   
“No, we can’t do this here. Not with your mom here. She’ll be down here any minute. I know her too well.” As soon as he rolled off me, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the basement. “See?”  
Josh rolled his eyes. “Dammit.”   
“You’re not telling her now are you?” I asked, with my heart starting to race again.  
“No, I’ll wait til I get them alone.” He whispered as his mom’s footsteps got closer.

“Hey guys! What are you up to?” She asked, poking her head in Josh’s room. I was now sitting on the foot of Josh’s bed but couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and he was still laying down. I knew Michelle had a sixth sense about certain things and I was starting to think this was one of them, judging by the look on her face. 

“Nothing mom, just hanging out. How was Amanda’s?” Josh got off the bed and walked towards his suitcase. Michelle proceeded to tell him about visiting Amanda, but I didn’t understand a word she was saying. All I could do was watch Josh as he bent down to rifle through his luggage. His t-shirt rose on his back, revealing the top of his boxer briefs. _That boy is all mine now. Could I be any luckier?_ I felt Michelle’s eyes on me and I gave her an innocent smile. 

“Do you want to stay for dinner, honey?” She asked me. _Oh yeah that will be comfortable. You have no idea that your son and I are dating. You think we’re just friends. You have no idea we slept together either._  
“I’d love to but I can’t. I made plans with Molly, maybe tomorrow.” I responded, giving Josh a look that said _you’re telling them before tomorrow, right?_ He must have gotten the hint because he gave me a reassuring nod. Michelle looked at me, then to Josh then back to me and smiled wide. _She knows. She definitely knows._   
“Ok, I’ll call you in the morning, we can make something together for the boys.” She winked. _Yup, she knows and just inducted me into the Hutcherson family. She never lets other people cook with her._

“Ok sounds fun. See you guys later!” I walked behind Michelle and mouthed ‘call me’ to Josh and winked at him. His face turned red and he went back to sorting through his bag.

**Josh: July 30, 2014**

“Josh wake up! We have to go help dad!” I heard Connor shout into my room from the doorway. I opened my eyes with a smile on my face knowing that I was now the boyfriend of Rachael Wallace. The girl who every guy in Union wanted to be with as soon as they met her. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand to see that I had a few text messages waiting for me.

_I was thinking about you all night ;)  
Josh?  
Josh wake your ass up! You have to go help your dad, remember?_

I grinned as I read her text, I imagined her voice telling me to wake my ass up and it was like music to my ears.

“Josh!” Connor yelled from the top of the stairs.  
“Alright, Jesus Connor! Give me a few minutes!” I snapped.

I picked up my phone and texted Rachael back.   
_My own personal alarm clock. Thank you :)_

 _Rachael: Welcome! Did you tell your parents yet?  
Me: No, you tell your dad?  
Rachael: No. I’m going over there in a little bit  
Me: Good luck. I’ll tell them after we get the patio done  
Rachael: K, good luck! See you later handsome <3  
Me: Later gorgeous girlfriend of mine_

It was the middle of the afternoon and Connor and I were laying out the stones for the patio my parents were building. He was telling me a story about one of his friends from school when I heard the sound of Stolen coming from my pocket. I smiled as I fished for my phone. “Hey you!”   
“Hey, I just told my dad.”  
“Really? What did he say?” I asked, wiping the sweat off my forehead.  
“He said it’s about time. And that he doesn’t know why I wasted so many years dating assholes when I could have had you the whole time.”  
I chuckled and could feel my face turning red. ‘Whos that?’ Connor mouthed. I shook my head, telling him to butt out.  
“Thats awesome babe!”   
“Yeah, phew! Did you tell anyone yet or are you still busy?”  
“We’re still doing the patio over here, I’ll tell them when we’re done though.” I saw my dad wheeling a bucket of cement to the back yard. “I better get back to work, when are you coming over later?”  
“I talked to your mom earlier, she said to come around 6. Tell her I’m running to the store on my way over so she doesn’t have to worry about getting tomatoes.”  
“Ok, I’ll see you then beautiful.”

“Who the hell was that?” Connor asked when I put my phone back in my pocket.  
“No one.” I smiled and shook my head, picking up another stone.  
“Obviously a girl. Who is it? And isn’t Rach coming over later? You’re gonna have your girlfriend here while she’s here too?” _So smart, that kid, but so unbelievably oblivious sometimes._  
“Connor, that was Rachael.”   
“But you...wait a second.” He scratched his chin and I saw the light bulb above his head.  
“Yeah, we’re dating.”  
“Well praise the lord! Finally! Mom’s gonna be so happy.” He threw his hands up in the air.  
“Why do you say that?”  
“Because she’s been trying to set you two up for the longest time, ever since Sam broke up with her.”  
“No, if anything, Mom made me almost lose her to that Brian guy.” I argued.  
“She wasn’t doing that to make you lose her. She did it because she wanted to light a fire under your ass. She saw how you acted when you talked about Rachael and had to do something to push you because she knew you were never going to move forward on your own.You should go thank her.”


	25. Hang onto her for as long as you can

**Josh: July 30, 2014**

The whole day had gone by without me saying anything to my parents about Rachael and I, even though I’m pretty sure my mom had a slight idea that something was up when she saw Rachael and I on my bed with smiles on our faces. And if what Connor said was true, I knew my mom would be beside herself to find out that her suspicions about Rach and I were real. I just got out of the shower when my phone buzzed for a new message.

_Rachael: On my way over! See you soon!  
Me: Looking forward to it. Just got out of the shower & I’m in nothing but a towel  
Rachael: Now that’s a sight I’d like to see  
Rachael: Minus the towel ;)  
Me: Oh boy...the things I’d do to you if I got you alone. You better watch out._

This girl was going to get me in trouble, but now that we were together, I wasn’t planning on holding back at all, especially since I’d be gone for 5 weeks with no chance to see her. I know in the past, my relationships have always taken a backseat to my film career, but this time was different. I’d go to the moon and back just to be with her.

I threw on a simple black v-neck and cargo shorts and raced up the stairs to tell my parents before she got to the house. My mom was cleaning up the kitchen and my dad and Connor were outside inspecting our hard work on the patio.

“Hey mom, what are you doing?” I asked, sitting on a stool at the island.  
“Trying to get everything set up before Rachael get here. Did you talk to her? Is she on her way? Oh jeeze, I hope she brought the tomatoes.” My mom easily panics whenever we have people over for any sort of function. But when you try to help her, she insists that she does everything herself. That’s why I was so surprised when she asked Rachael to help make dinner.

“Yeah, she’ll be here soon and she’s stopping at the store on her way. What are you guys making anyway?” I wondered.  
“Nana’s lasagna.” She responded.  
“Mom, you can’t share that recipe with anyone, that’s top secret.”   
“Well, I like Rachael. She’s a good girl.” She winked with a smile.  
“Ok, the jig is up. How’d you find out about us?” I asked, looking up from the magazine I was flipping through.   
“Mother’s intuition.” She walked over and hugged me tight and kissed me on the cheek. “There’s no one better for you. I’ve been telling your father for years that you two would eventually end up together.” She said with tears in her eyes.  
“Mom, stop! Why are you crying?” I laughed, wiping a tear that ran down her cheek.  
“I’m just glad to see you with someone who really makes you happy. Some of the girls you’ve dated in the past, they were toxic. But Rachael, she brings out the best in you.”   
“Thanks mom.” I stood up off the stool. “Sure you don’t need help?”   
“Get out of here and tell your father before your...girrrrrllllfriend gets here.” She teased, waving me away.

I shook my head at her and went outside to join my dad and Connor who were moving furniture onto the new patio.  
“Looks good!” I commented. “So, Dad...” I started, carrying a chair to the table.  
“So, Joshua.”   
“Uh, I don’t want you to be surprised when she gets here, but I thought I should tell you that Rachael and I are sort of dating.”   
My dad chuckled, putting the last chair down. “That’s a good one Josh. You’re a funny guy.”  
“No, I’m being serious. I asked her to be my girlfriend yesterday and she said yes. We’ve had this little thing going on between us since her wedding got called off.”  
My dad scratched the back of his head. “Wow, son. I’ve been wondering when you were going to put that brain of yours to good use. You really hit the jackpot. She’s a keeper - like the daughter your mother and I always dreamed of. You better hang onto her for as long as you can. I’ll break your neck if you ever let her go, do you understand?”   
“Yes sir.” I smiled. I was definitely planning on keeping her around for as long as possible. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t believe I waited so long.

I walked inside just as Rachael was opening the front door. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a yellow sun dress. I don’t think my heart could beat any faster when she smiled at me. I sauntered into the foyer, away from my mom’s sight to greet her with a hug and long kiss.

**Rachael: July 30, 2014**

“Hey beautiful.” Josh whispered when he pulled away with his arms still around my waist. God he smells good.  
“Hi! Mmmm, were you drinking Cherry Coke?” I asked, licking my lips.   
“Yeah.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss me again, but his mom called for me from the kitchen.

“Hey Rach!” She squeaked, holding her arms out for a hug.   
“Hi Michelle.” I laughed, embracing her. She squeezed me really tight and when she pulled away, she looked at Josh and I and hugged me again. “I’m so, so happy about you two. You have no idea!”  
“Don’t kill her mom!” Josh laughed.   
“Ok, ok, sorry. I’m just really excited!” Michelle took my hand and practically dragged me to the kitchen and Josh followed close behind and took a seat at the island and propped his elbows up on the counter while he watched me take the tomatoes out of the small grocery bag I brought.

“Shoo, Joshua, this is girl time. Go out back with the boys.” Michelle scolded before grabbing something out of the refrigerator. Josh sighed with a smile and got up off the stool.  
“Alright, I’m going.” He held his hands up and walked around the counter to give me a quick kiss, making my cheeks burn up.   
Michelle and I talked about everything under the sun while she showed me how to make the ever famous Nana Hutcherson lasagna. She even admitted that she set me up with Brian on purpose so that Josh would hurry up and make his big move. I’m glad she did. Even though I was sort of starting to really like Brian, in the back of my mind, the only person I wanted to be with was Josh. 

Dinner turned out wonderful, it was like any other time that I’ve eaten there, besides the fact that Josh’s hand crept up my leg while we were eating. That never happened in the past. I probably should have smacked his hand away, but I let him keep it there the whole time. 

Josh’s manager called in the middle of eating to give him the latest on his trip to Charlotte. I was so stuck in la-la land the last 24 hours that I completely forgot that were weren’t going to be able to see each other for 5 whole weeks. That’s a long time to spend without someone you’re crazy about. But over the years, Josh and I went months and months without speaking at all. This was going to be alright. I hoped.

It started to rain a little after we did the dishes, we had been talking about playing a game of basketball, but settled for pool in the basement instead with Josh’s dad and Connor. When neither of them were looking, Josh would put his hands on my hips from behind and give me small kisses on my neck, making the area between my legs burn with desire. All I wanted to do was pull him into his bedroom and let him have it. He was in trouble if I got him alone. 

Chris and Connor beat us, which was expected. It was hard to focus on the game because of what Josh was doing to me. And he wasn’t paying attention to it either because he was too busy driving me crazy. 

“You’re bad.” I said to Josh after his dad as his dad and Connor made their way upstairs.   
“What? I can’t help myself. You’re beautiful and sexy and now I get to have you all to myself.” He smiled, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a soft kiss. I rubbed my hands along the front of his black v-neck and began kissing his neck, releasing a soft moan out of his mouth. He backed me up into the side of the pool table and started grinding his hips against mine, but stopped abruptly when his mom opened the basement door.

“Hey do you guys want some ice cream?” Michelle hollered from the top of the stairs.   
“Son of a bitch.” Josh mumbled. “No thanks!” He yelled back. I couldn’t help but laugh at how cute he was when he got frustrated. “What?” He spat. “We never get to be alone in this house!”

“Well, remember, I live by myself so that means my house is empty right now.” I replied, cocking an eyebrow.   
Josh gave me a sly grin and grabbed my hand. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”


	26. We can walk hand in hand under the moonlight and shit

**Rachael: July 26, 2014**

“Hey, the rain let up!” I noted when we got up the basement stairs. Josh and I parted hands and he went into the living room where his mom, dad and Connor were and told them that we were going out for a while. Michelle demanded that I take some leftover lasagna with me and gave me a tupperware container with a few pieces. I love Michelle, she’s always so nurturing, like a second mother to me. She was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to after my own mom died. I turned to her for everything that I couldn’t talk to my dad about.

“Call me next week, ok? We’ll go do something when I get back from taking Josh to Charlotte.” She said with a hug.  
“Sure.” I responded and took Josh’s outstretched hand. _Anxious to get down to business, aren’t we?_  
“Let’s go girlfriend.” He smiled and dangled his keys in front of me.  
“I’ll drive, I can just drop you off later.” I said, digging for my own keys  
“No, we’re having a sleepover tonight. I’ll take you back for your car in the morning after we go out for breakfast.” He winked, opening the front door to let me walk outside.  
“You have our whole night planned, don’t you, stud?”  
“Yeah, we’re never gonna leave your bedroom.” He said, raising his eyebrows at me.  
“If you can make it that far without putting your hands on me.”

“After you sweetie pie.” He said, opening up the car door for me.  
“Aww what a gentleman. Trying to score some points?”  
“I don’t really have to try.” He smiled and kissed me before starting the engine.  
“Oh ok, someone’s full of himself.” I teased. He grabbed my hand while we coasted down the street and put kisses on each of my knuckles. I was, for the first time in a really long time, truly happy. With Josh, I didn’t feel like I had to be someone else to make him happy, we just fit together naturally and us being together made sense.

“I’m glad we’re doing this.” I smiled, watching him keep his eyes on the road.  
“Yeah me too. I don’t want to be interrupted again.” He cocked and eyebrow at me and went back to watching the road.  
“No, I meant you and me. I’m really happy we’re together. It feels right, you know?”  
He peered at me in the corner of his eye and looked back at the road. “You’re not getting all sappy on me are you?”  
“Ugh you’re such a guy.” I rolled my eyes.  
“I’m kidding babe.” He laughed, interlocking our fingers. “It does, this feels good. I know what you mean. I just don’t say that stuff.”

When we got close to my neighborhood, I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen. Josh noticed that I was wincing and asked it I was ok.  
“Yeah, too much food probably, I’ll be fine.” I started counting days in my head and realized my aunt flow from red creek was supposed to be paying me a visit any day. _Great, right before I plan to actually have sex with Josh for the first time, this has to happen. What the actual fuck mother nature?_

“Just make yourself comfortable, ok?” I gave Josh a quick kiss and shot upstairs to use the bathroom, hoping my suspicions were wrong and that I still had a chance at getting some, but sure enough, my visitor came. “Ugh!” I shouted.

“Are you ok in there?” Josh asked through the door.  
“Yes, just wonderful.” I washed my hands and opened the door to find him leaning on the wall in the hallway. I let out a disappointed sigh. “So um, we’re gonna have to postpone this....never leaving the bedroom thing, which I was really REALLY looking forward to.”  
“Why, what’s wrong?” Josh asked, standing up off the wall and putting his hands around my waist.  
“Monthly visitor.” I scowled, causing him to laugh.  
“Awww it’s ok baby.” He kissed my forehead. “Do you need like chocolate or anything? I know you girls like chocolate around that time of the month.”  
“No, I don’t need chocolate. I need sweatpants and the couch. If you want to leave, I understand. I probably won’t be much fun.” I said, turning to go to my bedroom.  
“No, I’ll stay. I want to stay with you.”  
“Hmm, I like you. I think I’ll keep you around for a while.” I smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

**Josh: July 26, 2014**

I went back downstairs and played with Cato while I waited for Rachael to finish changing.  
“Hey, yeah you’re a good boy!” I spoke, making him wag his tail. He flopped his front paws down on the floor and ran around in circles. I suddenly missed Driver. I wondered how he was doing at Andre’s. I knew Cato and Driver would get along great, I thought about bringing him with me, but he didn’t care for planes too much. Cato galloped to the hook on the wall where Rachael kept his leash and nudged it with his nose.  
“What?” I asked him and he wagged his tail again and let out a huff. “Walk?” He practically nodded his head when I said the W word and jumped up on me, almost knocking me down with his strength.  
“Walk?” I repeated, making him jump up and down. “Hey babe?” I hollered up the stairs.

“Yeah?” I heard her yell before opening her bedroom door. She strolled down the stairs in baggy sweat pants and a tight little tanktop. _Didn’t think it was possible for her to get any sexier._ “What?” She asked, smoothing out her hair.  
“Your dog wants to go for a W-A-L-K.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Ugh, you had to get him going, didn’t you. Well now you have to take him.” She passed me and picked up the leash from the hook. “You don’t say the W word in front of him, he freaks out. Then if you don’t take him, he’ll ignore you and mope around for the rest of the night. So here you go.” She handed me the leash and gave me an it’s all your fault look.

“Come with me?” I asked, giving her a sad puppy dog face and pouting my lip out. She shook her head no. “Come on, please? You can show me around your new neighborhood and we can walk hand in hand under the moonlight and shit.”  
“Wow you’re romantic.” She laughed and gave me a little shove. “Alright Romeo, I’ll go.”

 

Cato pulled me down the street, but when Rachael commanded him, he slowed down. She grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers together like it was nothing special. But it sent a surge of energy through my whole body. She was in the middle of telling me about her neighbor’s loud lawn mower when I stopped walking and kissed the base of her neck just once.

“You can’t be doing that in the middle of the street, Joshua! I have nosy neighbors!” She looked around and pointed to a white house on the corner. “Look, Mrs. Peterson looks through her blinds all the time. What a witch. And besides if you do that again, you’re going to make me want to have my way with you and we’re a little screwed in that department right now.”  
“Sorry, sorry.” I surrendered with a chuckle. “You just look really sexy right now, I had to.”  
“Yeah, yeah.” She sighed, taking my hand again.

We circled the block a couple times and when we were almost back to her house, a car slowed down when it got close to us, then sped back up. Rachael peered in the driver’s window and waved when she saw it was Molly. We were still holding hands and I wasn’t sure if Rachael told Molly about us yet.

“Does she know about us?” I asked when Molly drove away.  
“I haven’t talked to her.” She shrugged. “She probably suspects something now though. Everyone’s going to find out eventually, right?” She asked, grabbing Cato’s leash.  
“Yeah, sooner or later.” I let out a nervous laugh. I completely didn’t think about how I was going to let the public know about us. All my other girlfriends had to deal with my crazy obsessed fans sending them death threats in the mail, and I didn’t want that to happen to Rachael. I figured I’d focus on the movie for the next couple months, then after filming, figure out a way with my publicist to tell the media I was dating someone without having a shit show on my hands.


	27. Come away with me in the night

**Rachael: July 26, 2014**

“We’ll just have to make sure we keep it between a few close people for now at least. You know how crazy my fans can get. And I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Josh said to me when we got in my house. _Oh the perks of dating a celebrity. Hiding out from the paparazzi and fans._

“Yeah, I know.” I sighed. I didn’t like thinking about his celebrity status. He dragged me to the VMAs a few years ago and I hated it. I mean, it was great because I got to step in and support him when his parents couldn’t make it, but I liked it better when we were just hanging out doing normal stuff.

“Kingpin?” Josh questioned, picking up the DVD case from my coffee table.  
“Oh, yeah. I was going to watch it the other night with Molly, but never got around to it.”  
“Well let’s watch it now! I haven’t seen it in years! I’ll tell Woody when I see him in a couple days.”

_Oh yeah, he’s fucking leaving._

“You’re gone for how long again?” I asked, worriedly as he crouched down to put the movie in.  
“We’re done with production in Charlotte in mid-September, but then we shoot a few scenes in LA and that will take a couple weeks but at least I’ll be home. So it looks like I won’t be able to get back here until like the first week of October and even then I won’t be able to stay long because I have a charity thing for SBNN the day before my birthday and then I start doing press stuff for Mockingjay.”

My head was starting to hurt listening to him list off his busy schedule. But it’s his job and I had to stand behind him as much as it killed me to think about not being able to spend a ton of time with him.  
“Ok, I don’t want to think about not getting seeing you. Come here handsome.” I said, patting the seat next to me. He smiled wide and accepted my request and slid an arm around my shoulder when he sat down. I rested my head on his chest and propped my feet up on my side and traced his jawline and through the stubble on his chin with my index finger, planting small kisses on his neck and cheek. His body warmth radiated onto my bare arm that rested on his waist. He smiled bashfully and squeezed me tight before giving me a warm soft kiss on the lips.  
“You better behave yourself Wallace.” He said against my lips before kissing me again.  
“Can’t help it, you’re very irresistible, Hutcherson.

**Josh: July 26, 2014**

I heard a clap of thunder outside mid-way through the movie, but didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until a few more loud booms that it started raining in a heavy downpour.

"Shit I hope you closed your windows!" Rachael called out, leaping off the couch to close the windows upstairs.

I barely slid my sneakers over my toes and darted outside, making a B-line for the car. Sure enough, the windows were down. _Fuck!_ I got soaked in the short amount of time it took me to run outside and run back. I ran onto the covered porch, kicking off my shoes and wringing my shirt out before walking back inside.

"Were they down? Oh my god its really nasty out there!" Rachael exclaimed when she saw me looking like a drowned rat. She removed the hand that was cupping her mouth and studied me with her arms crossed, slowly eying me up and down as if I was on display at an art gallery.

"What?" I finally said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.  
"You're. _Really._ Sexy." She said as she took a few steps towards me.  
"Thank you but do you have a towel?" I asked, wiping my wet forehead, not realizing that she was looking at me like I was a field mouse and she was a hawk soaring in the air above me.

"I can't have you walking around in damp clothes all night." She shook her head and took one more step towards me so we were inches apart. "We need to get these off of you.” She said, tugging at the bottom of my shirt and kissing my neck, triggering the familiar sensation of a growing hard on.

“Oh God Rach.” I breathed as she kissed the skin above the neckline of my t-shirt. “What are you doing to me? We can’t do this, remember? Your little....situation?”  
“Yeah, but there’s things I can do to you.” She kissed my neck again, then cheek, then earlobe. “If you know what I mean.” She whispered close to my ear and pushed her hands up under my wet shirt, lifting the fabric up over my head. Another clap of thunder struck outside. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips and the warmth of her body against my bare chest was enough to make me explode.

She took a step back and started to go for the button on my shorts when the lights in the house flickered once then came back on. We looked at each other for a second and shrugged it off, figuring it was the storm. She rubbed my now fully erect penis from the outside of my shorts and I closed my eyes and let out a moan that sounded almost inhuman when I felt the friction of her hand.

When I opened my eyes, she had a huge grin on her face. “You’re evil.” I muttered. She smiled even wider and kissed my neck and moved lower to my chest. She fumbled with the button on my shorts and just as she got it unbuttoned, the lights went off again, but this time they stayed off. She let out a small gasp and all I could hear was the rain pounding on the street outside.

I could only see a brief outline of her and she giggled a little before moving her hand to my zipper and pulling it down to free me from the discomfort I was feeling from having my hard on pressed up against my shorts. I opened my eyes wide to try to see what she was doing, but it was useless. I jumped when she slid my boxers down around my ankles. “You have the eyesight of a raccoon. I can't see shit.” I commented.

“Shhh.” She whispered. I gasped when I felt her hand on the base of my cock and whimpered when her warm lips kissed the tip. I thought she was still standing up. "Oh God" I groaned as she took all of me in her mouth. My hands found their way to her head where they rested the whole time she sucked me off. Here it was, second full day into our relationship and I was getting head in her foyer. I had the best girlfriend in the world. My knees started to buckle when I got close to my peak. "Babe I'm gonna come." I warned, in case she was like a few of my exes and didn't like the taste of cum. Rachael didn't acknowledge it and I released right in her mouth.

**Rachael: July 26, 2014**

He took his hands off my head when I stood up and I gave him a kiss on the cheek before helping him step out of the shorts that were at his feet. “So am I supposed to walk around in my underwear all night?” He asked, pulling up his boxers. I chuckled and picked up his wet clothes.  
“When the power comes back on I’ll put these in the dryer for you. You’re gonna have to go like that until then unless you want to wear one of my oversized t-shirts.”  
“No, I think I’m ok. You got me a little hot anyway. Do you have a flashlight?”  
“Yeah, if you can find your way to the kitchen, there’s one in the first drawer next to the fridge.”

I threw Josh’s clothes in the laundry room and helped him find a couple flashlights. I dug out a few candles and scattered them in the living room. The rain didn’t look like it was going to stop any time soon, and I wasn’t sure when the power would be back on. We decided to play a game of Scattergories, which I think the last time I played was when I babysat Josh and Connor when they were younger. Who would have thought that some odd years later, I’d be playing with Josh in his underwear in a candlelit room after getting him off?

Josh hit shuffle on my iTunes playlist and after playing a rousing game of Jenga, we sat under a blanket on the couch, watching the light from the candles dance across the ceiling and shared a few handfuls of animal crackers. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes when “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones came on. He put his arm around me and kissed the side of my head.

“You know when I first realized I had a thing for you?” He asked.  
“Hmm?” I looked up at him.  
“At your college graduation party. Do you remember you dragged me to the bridge and I told you about Shannon?”  
“Yeah.” I smiled, thinking back to 6 years ago.  
“You told me I was going to find someone someday and everyone I was with before her wouldn’t matter.” His arm held me tighter.  
“I did? I don’t remember that.”  
“Yeah, you did, and I should have realized that that person was you all along.”  
 _Cue the waterworks._ I sniffled as my eyes got misty. “You certainly have a way with words, don’t you sir?” He nodded proudly and leaned down to kiss me. I don’t think anything could ruin this moment. Then my phone buzzed on the coffee table for a text message, lighting up the whole room.


	28. You gonna come see me off?

**Rachael: July 26, 2014**

I picked up my phone, wiping my teary eyes so I could see the screen and saw that it was Molly texting me.

_Molly: Please tell me that wasn’t Josh I saw you holding hands with_

“Wow, that’s weird.” I showed Josh the screen and he scratched his head.  
“Hmm. Better answer her. I know how she can get.”

_Molly: Rach?  
Me: Why? What if it was?  
Molly: Rachael....  
Molly: This can’t be happening!  
Molly: Call me now!_

Why would she say that it can’t be happening? Maybe she was just shocked. I leaped off the couch and went on the back porch. The rain had slowed down but the power was still out everywhere. I sat down at the table and scrolled to Molly’s number and pushed send. 

“How long has this been going on Rach?” She answered.  
“Um, first of all, hello. And second of all, only a day, so relax because I was going to tell you when I saw you tomorrow.”  
I heard a deep sigh come from the other end of the phone. “I don’t know about this Rachael.” I could see her sitting there shaking her head. There was so much disappointment in her voice and I had no idea she’d react this way.  
“Why not? It just made sense. Josh is my best friend and I realized these last few months that I like him more than that. Why are you not happy?”  
“Because Rachael, it’s Josh, that’s why. I don’t want to see you get hurt. You don’t deserve it. And I know he can’t hang on to a girl for more than 3 months. And you’re still getting over Sam. You’re not with him for the right reasons.” 

Hearing the words from Debbie Downer herself stung my eyes, but she was wrong, really wrong. I was with Josh because I really wanted to be with him, ever since he first kissed me when I visited him in California, I wanted nothing more than to be with him, it had nothing to do with Sam.  
“I’m not dating Josh because of Sam.” I spat.  
“Well, still, I mean come on, he’s leaving to go shoot and you know how he’s never in the same place for more than a week with his schedule. How are you two ever going to see each other?”  
“We’ll figure it out. I don’t understand why you’re so against this.” 

Surely there was a deeper reason why she didn’t think we should date, but I didn’t want to waste time trying to figure it out. I saw the lights come back on in the house and giggled when I saw that Josh was on the floor with Cato. I wasn’t really listening to Molly because I was entranced by my boyfriend crawling around the floor in his underwear with my dog, but I did hear her say “He’s a wanted man, Rach. Don’t trust other girls and be careful not jump into anything too soon with him. That’s all I’m telling you as your best friend. I’d hate to see you guys not work out then lose him as a friend too.”

“Would you relax and just be happy for me?” I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to the phone.  
She sighed again, “Alright, fine. I suppose if he makes you happy, I can accept that.”  
“Thank you, that’s all I wanted to hear. Don’t go and tell the whole world, ok? We only told a few people, he doesn’t want it getting out to the public yet.”  
“I won’t say anything. I still can’t believe you two are dating. This is nuts. Like, pinch me I’m dreaming. Ugh! Ok I’ll let you go so you can enjoy your.....boyfriend before he has to leave. Oh God it’s so weird saying that. Call me tomorrow.”  
“Ok, night.” 

I still wasn’t convinced that she was happy about Josh and I dating, but I was happy and thats all that mattered. I went back inside where Josh was still playing with Cato.  
“Driver is gonna get jealous.” I said as I closed the back door.  
“He’ll never know.” He smiled and stood up, putting his arms around me. “What did Molly say?”  
“I think she’s still surprised because this came out of left field. She needs some time to realize that she’s not dreaming.” 

I went to the kitchen to reset the clocks on the stove and microwave. It was 11:45 and I had less than a day before Josh had to leave. 

**Josh: July 26, 2014**

“When does your plane leave tomorrow?” Rachael asked on her way back from the kitchen.  
“We take off at 7. You gonna come and see me off?”  
“Of course baby.” She said, leaning over the back of the couch to give me a kiss on the cheek, leaving me wanting more. She breezed past me and went to the laundry room and I jumped off the couch and stood in the doorway, feeling myself getting hard watching her bend over to put my clothes in the dryer. She smiled when she saw me staring at her.

"What?" She asked, turning around to start the dryer.  
"Nothin, just trying to figure out why someone as gorgeous as you would date me."  
"Hmm I need to think about that." She tapped her chin after hitting the start button and smiled when she eyed me up and down. "Because you're the only person who can drive me crazy and get away with it because you're really cute."   
"Cute?"   
"And sexy, really sexy." She said, giving me a soft kiss. I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and pressed my forehead against hers. "Oh what am I gonna do without you for 2 months Wallace?"   
She put her hands on my cheeks, trying to steady my anxiety. "You're going to work really hard and do an amazing job, and we’ll talk on the phone and skype or whatever, it will be fine. 2 months is nothing, we've done this before."

We have done this before but that was when we were just friends. Now that I could hug her and kiss her whenever I wanted, it was going to be rough not getting to see her for that long.

"You’re amazing, you know that?” I chuckled.  
“No I’m not. Come on boyfriend, let’s go to bed.” She grabbed my hand and led me to her bedroom. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I sank down on the soft comforter. I was almost asleep when I felt her slide under the covers after brushing her teeth. 

“Hey you.” I whispered, sliding close to her and slinking my arm over her waist.  
“Hi.” She smiled and gave me a long kiss. “Mmmm this certainly isn’t like any of the other sleepovers we’ve ever had.” She laughed after pulling away.   
“Well except for that one time in your living room.” I hinted.  
“Yeah, except for that. And for the time when you kissed me after you climbed into bed with me when I was visiting you in LA.” _Wait, she felt that?_  
“You were awake for that?” I asked.  
“Yeah. I didn’t want to say anything though. I probably would have kissed you back then if you weren’t with...you know who.” She said, shifting her body so that her head was on my chest.  
“Well I’m not anymore, so you can kiss me anytime you want.”   
“Good, because that’s what I’m planning to do.” She hoisted herself up and kissed me again before returning to my chest and falling asleep.

**Rachael: July 27, 2014**

Josh’s whiskers against my neck the next morning woke me up. We were in a typical spooning position and he was nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck and started putting small kisses behind my ear. Goosebumps started popping up along the whole left side of my body.   
“Joshua, you’re in so much trouble it’s not even funny.” I mumbled and felt him smile against my skin before giving me another kiss.  
“Sorry.” He chuckled. I turned around to face him and pouted my lips, making him laugh.

“Today is gonna suck. Can we just like stay here in bed all day?” I sighed, not ever wanting to let him go.  
“As much as I would love that, we have stuff to do today before I leave. We have to go get your car, get the rest of my stuff packed, visit Nana Hutcherson and Amanda and I owe Connor a game of one on one and I promised you breakfast, so we better get dressed.

 

The day went by a lot faster than I hoped it would. Nana Hutcherson and Amanda were both ecstatic to learn that Josh and I were seeing each other. Before we left to go to the airport, we spent some time in Josh’s bedroom making out for a while since we wouldn’t be able to kiss each other goodbye at the airport. 

“Alright, we have everything?” Michelle asked Josh after checking their luggage.   
“Yup, I think so.” Josh slung his backpack onto his back.  
“Ok, Rach. I’ll call you when I get home next week, ok?” She gave me a quick hug. “I’ll let you two do your thing. I won’t look.” She waved us away. Josh hugged his dad and Connor before turning to me. I pulled the sunglasses he was wearing off his head, even though he hated to be without them in case he got recognized, I had to get one last good look at his beautiful eyes. They were a different color every time I saw them, today they were a deep green with a ring of gold around the center. 

“So this is it.” He smiled nervously.  
“Call me when you get there, ok?” I wrapped my arms around his neck.  
“Is it bad if I want to kiss you right now in front of all these people?” He whispered.  
“Yes, especially because there’s a few people taking our picture.” I pulled away. “Listen, you’re going to be great, like always. Just focus on the movie and don’t think about me too much.” I winked.  
“That’s kind of impossible, but I’ll try.” He brushed my cheek with his hand and sighed.   
“I miss you already!” I called out when he started walking away.  
“Ditto!” He hollered back.


	29. Are you in love Josh?

**Josh: August 13, 2014**

_Amen...finally a night off! What are we doing tonight?_ Jen sent me a text message after we wrapped for the day.  
 _I don’t feel like doing anything._ I shot back.  
 _Oh come on! What’s wrong with you? Can’t I just buy you dinner? You have to eat don’t you?_  
I suppose I was sort of hungry. I was also exhausted, and I really really missed Rachael. We only talked a few times in the couple weeks since I got to Charlotte because we had both been really busy. _Fine, come get me whenever._

Jen honked the horn on her BMW outside my condo a half hour later.  
“What, no driver, miss Daisy?” I asked as I slid onto the leather seat.  
“No, I can do things for myself from time to time. I don’t need people constantly waiting on me hand and foot.”  
“Yeah. I know how that goes. Where to?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt.  
“I don’t know. I’ll just drive around til we find a place.” She shrugged. That’s what I liked about Jen, she was completely spontaneous - no wonder we got along so well. I pulled out my phone and sent Rachael a quick text.

_Hey babe, hope you had a good day. Me & Jen are going to get some food. Miss you!_

“Who are you texting with a huge grin on your face, Romeo?” Jennifer pried, trying to look at my screen.  
“No one, nosy, just look for somewhere to eat, don’t pay attention to me.”  
“Yeah, ok. No wonder you didn’t call me back a couple weeks ago, which I’m still mad at you about by the way.”  
“You never called me! I never saw that you call me.” I argued.  
“Because you were too busy with your flavor of the month.” She was getting a kick out of calling me out.  
“If you must know, she’s not a flavor of the month. She’s...”  
“Who is it? Just tell me come ON Josh!” She beat down on her steering wheel she was so frustrated that I wasn’t giving her much to work with.  
“No, I’m not telling you anything.”  
“You asshole, there’s probably no girl at all, you’re probably texting Andre or someone just to get a rise out of me.”  
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m doing.” I nodded.

We chose a hole in the wall Thai restaurant which was a little out of the way so we wouldn’t get recognized by anyone. After we ordered, Jen started tapping her fingers on her cheek and studying my face, putting me on the spot. “You’re different. I can’t put my finger on it but you are. And I’ll be damned if I figure out what it is.”  
“Different how?”  
“Like you’re glowing or some shit, I don’t know. Are you in love Josh?”  
“I don’t think so, not yet anyway.” I could feel my face getting hotter by the second.

My phone buzzed on the table and I couldn’t help but feel like a 12 year old girl when I saw the picture that I had stored with Rachael’s contact information. She hated the old one I had of her when she was little so she sent me the one someone took of us when I took her to the zoo in San Diego to see the pandas. Jennifer saw my excitement and suddenly got curious, cocking an eyebrow.

“Hey what’s up?” I answered, with Jennifer’s eyes stuck on me.  
“Hey I’m about to go for a run with Molly. I just wanted to call you before I head out. I miss you so much!” Hearing those words sent a dart through my chest. Jennifer mouthed ‘Who is it? Is it her?’ I waved her away and before I could say anything, Jen reached over the table and grabbed my phone.

“Oh, it’s just Rachael!” She exclaimed when she saw the screen. “Hey Rach? It’s Jen. Hey!!!!” I sat back in my chair, patiently waiting to get my phone back. I figured I’d be waiting a while, so I just minded my own business and ate my food.  
“Oh yeah, I know tell me about it.” Jen hunched over the table, taking a bite. “So you know Joshy boy here has some girl he’s stringing along and he won’t tell me about her at all.” She said, pointing her fork at me. “I know, it’s so Josh. So secretive. I’ll figure it out. Here you want to talk to him? Ok, I’ll talk to you later. I miss you too! Alright, bye!”

She handed the phone back to me and continued eating. “Hey, sorry about that.” I said, getting up from the table.  
“Oh man I love her.” She laughed. “You haven’t told anyone yet I take it?”  
“No, I’ve been so busy, it hasn’t really come up. We’re trying to move production along as fast as possible, but I’m guessing we’ll have to be here a little longer than I thought.”  
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. I could just see the smile fade from her face.  
“But I’m going to try to see you somehow, ok? We might get a few days off soon. I can’t stand not being around you, it’s fucking torture.”  
“I know.” She sighed. “But it is what it is, right? You’re doing what you love, just remember that.”

“I bet you look really sexy with your running clothes on right now.” I smirked, changing the subject.  
Rachael laughed. “Maybe I’ll send you a picture later.”  
“Oooh, a dirty one, I hope.” I suggested, looking around to make sure no one heard me. I started feeling the blood rush to my penis imagining what kind of naughty picture I was hopefully going to get in my inbox later. We talked for a few more minutes before Molly got to her house then I went back to the table.

Jen cleared her throat when I sat down. “So how long have you and Rachael been dating?”  
“What?” I almost spit out my drink. How the fuck did she know?  
“I’m not a dumbass Josh. I knew from the second you told me her wedding never happened that you two would get together. I’m so brilliant.” She smiled proudly.  
“Not long, but don’t say anything, got it? The last thing I need is for people hounding her. It’s bad enough that I can’t see her for 2 whole months.”  
“Possibly more.” She interrupted.  
“Yeah don’t remind me.” I muttered.  
“We’re getting a few days off sometime in the next few weeks, why don’t you go visit her?”  
“I can’t. I really don’t want to go home, as horrible as that sounds.”  
Jen’s face lit up like a lightbulb. “Oh, hang on. Something’s coming to me.She slammed her hands on the table she was so excited. “Yes! I got it. We’re going shopping. I know exactly what you should do! You’re going to love me!”

After 3 hours of getting dragged all over Charlotte to find the perfect thing for Rachael, and a couple run ins with fans who had meltdowns over Jen and I actually being out in public together, I was about ready to collapse when I got back to my condo. I flopped down on a chair in my living room and flipped on the tv.

I had just started to doze off while watching an episode of Hoarders on A&E when my phone buzzed in my pocket, waking me up. I expected it to be my assistant or manager or someone I didn’t want to talk to, but it wasn’t.

“Oh fuck!” I blurted, opening the photo Rachael sent me of herself so I could see it full size. “Fuck me.” I said aloud for anyone within a mile radius to hear.

 _Holy shit._ I wrote back. My dick was now as hard as a rock. I closed my eyes, dropping my phone on the floor as I pictured Rachael practically half naked, sitting there in her bedroom probably waiting for me to answer back. I dug my hand under my jeans and started stroking myself furiously, imagining the way she bites her bottom lip before she leans in to kiss me.

I spit into my hand and imagined that her warm wet lips were around my cock instead. I heard my phone buzz again and could see her getting anxious, probably drumming her fingers across her cheeks. I squeezed my eyes tight as I felt myself hitting my climbing towards the top of my peak, still picturing her sucking me off. I let out a series of small grunts and groans when I finally released, getting cum all over my hand and the inside of my jeans. I heard my phone buzz again and I hurriedly rushed to the bathroom to wipe my hands.

When I came back, I had 3 texts from Rachael. This was all her fault. She did this to me. I’m just a guy.

_Ok you're laughing at me aren't you?  
Babe?_   
_OMG are you fucking jerking off? Ugh men!_


	30. Bring these with you next weekend

**Rachael: August 19, 2014**  
  
I was in the middle of typing a long thought out email to one of my clients at work when my boss knocked on the door.   
“Excuse me, Rach, sorry to bother you.” She proceeded to sit on one of the chairs on the other side of my desk.  
“It’s ok.” I hit save and turned my attention to her. “What’s up?”  
“I just got off with corporate in LA. They told us we need to make some serious cutbacks on spending.”  
“So what does that mean?” I asked, fearing that my job was at stake. 

“Well we’re just going to have to limit a few things - client lunches, staff birthdays, gifts, travel, you know - that stuff. No one is in jeopardy though, so no worries there.”  
“Travel? So what about the branch meetings in LA?”  
“They’re going to be done through a conference call instead.” Great. There go my chances of seeing Josh for free once a month. “So now you don’t have to worry about being gone for a few days a month, right?” She said, getting up from her chair.

“Yeah, right.” I sighed with a smile. She walked around my office, studying the photos on my bookcase. She lifted one up of Josh and I - a recent one - and held it up. “That Josh is so damn cute. Is he seeing anyone?”  
“Uh, no. He’s filming in Charlotte so he doesn’t have time to date anyone.”  
“Oh. Hey, are you still seeing that guy, Brian? You haven’t talked about him for a while.”   
“No, it didn’t really work out with us.” I lied.  
“Hey wouldn’t it be funny if you and Josh got together? Oh my god you two would be so cute!” She exclaimed, showing me another picture of us.   
“Yeah, maybe.” I laughed, starting to feel my cheeks get flushed.   
  
  
I finished up a few calls and emails the rest of the morning and just before I went to grab my lunch out of the office refrigerator, my phone rang with Josh’s face showing up on the screen.   
“Hey stranger.” I answered with a huge smile.  
“Good afternoon beautiful. I have a top secret mission that you have to go on for me.”  
“Oooh, what is it?” I asked with the excitement building already.  
“You need to go home at lunch today.”   
“Why is that?” Oh my God is he here? Did he surprise me?   
“I’m sending something to your house that you need to sign for.”  
“What is it?”   
“I can’t tell you. But you have to be there when the guy comes.”  
“What are you up to Hutcherson?” I asked, suspiciously.  
“You’ll love it, I promise. At least I hope you’ll love it.” He laughed.  
“Alright. I’ll accept your mission. Am I supposed to call you if I get this mystery package?” I asked, gathering my purse and car keys.  
“You can if you want to. I don’t have to be on set for a while.”  
I sighed. “I don’t know about you sometimes. I’ll call you later baby.”   
  
  
I arrived at my house a half hour later and there was no sign of a delivery man, or Josh for that matter. I let Cato outside and fixed myself something to eat. The doorbell rang as I was sitting down at the kitchen table. I jumped up and ran to the door, still hoping it was Josh surprising me, but sure enough, it was a delivery man with two boxes. I signed his hand held computer and hurried to the kitchen to get scissors to open the boxes.  
  
The first box contained a gift bag with a small note card attached.

_Bring these with you next weekend, we're going on a little trip.  
-Josh_

_ps: pack your bathing suit  
pps: I miss you!_

  
“What the hell?” I screamed as my heart started beating a mile a minute. “Oh my god!” I whispered to myself as I tore through the bag. I nearly fainted when I pulled out a gorgeous pair of black Christian Louboutin pumps.  
  
I dropped the shoes on the table, covering my mouth when I saw them. I quickly reached for my phone and dialed Josh’s number. I completely forgot I had another box to open.  
  
“Has your mission been completed?” He answered.  
“Josh!” I screamed.  
“Yeah?”  
“What did I do to deserve these?”   
“You know I have a thing for shoes, and I wanted to get you something nice because you’re my girl and you deserve it. Jen helped me pick them out. Do you like them?”  
“I love them! I’m trying them on right now!” I said, slipping them on my feet. “Wait, where are you taking me on such short notice?” My attention turning to the note card.   
“You didn’t open the other box, you have to open it to see.”  
  
I proceeded to cut open the other box with him still on the phone. In it, there was a beautiful bouquet of pink gerbera daisies wrapped up in plastic film. “Oh Josh they’re beautiful.”  
“They’re your favorite right?”  
“Yes they are, you remembered.” Leave it to Josh to remember every little detail. He even got my shoe size right. He was too much.  
“Is there something else in that box?” He asked. I removed the flowers and rifled through the tissue paper and came across an envelope.  
“Yes there is. Hang on a sec.” I told him as I ripped the envelope open and pulled out a plane ticket to Miami. “Holy shit! Josh!”  
I heard him chuckle on the other end. “I figured you could use some time away and since I have some time off, I thought it would be nice if we could spend a little alone time.” A smile crept up on my face when I thought of spending the weekend with just him with no interruptions.   
“You’re amazing baby, thank you so much.”   
  
**Rachael: August 29, 2014**  
  
“What are you doing this weekend?” My co-worker Leslie asked as I was packing up my stuff for the long weekend. I took a half day at work since my flight took off in the afternoon.   
“I’m going away for a few days.” I was completely in la-la land and so excited to see Josh.  
“Oooh, where to?”   
“Uh, Miami.” I answered with an innocent smile.   
“Wow! Jealous! What for?”  
“I, uh, I have a friend’s wedding.” I lied. I wasn’t sure if I should be telling people about Josh and I just yet.   
  
I was shocked to see that Josh get me seating in first class for both of my flights when I checked in at the airport. I had never been on first class before and it was like a completely different world. I send Josh a text before my connecting flight from Atlanta took off. I was so giddy and excited, I could help but talk my neighbor’s ear off the entire time. He was a middle aged business man who looked like he didn’t give two shits about what I had to say, but I didn’t care.   
  
It was dusk when I landed in Miami and I saw that Josh texted me back saying that a driver would be waiting for me outside of the baggage claim. I wasn’t used to this. A driver? La-tee-dah! I guess Josh had to make sure he wasn’t in the public eye too much if he didn’t want to get hounded. A man in a dark suit with a sign that said ‘MISS WALLACE’ greeted me at baggage claim.   
“I’m Miss Wallace....Rachael.” I waved.  
“Good evening Miss Wallace, I’m Tim. Mr. Hutcherson did a nice job describing you.”   
“Uh thank you, I think. Where is he?”  
“He’s waiting at a hotel not too far from here. I’m going to take you there. Here, I’ll take your bag.”  
“Oh. No don’t worry about it. I got it.” I replied, holding on to the handle. I know he was being a gentleman, but I could carry my own bag. I didn’t need to be treated like royalty, it made me uncomfortable.  
“Very well then. He was right.” He laughed.  
“Why, what did he say?”  
“That you’re feisty. I can see why he’s so crazy about you.”


	31. How do my eating habits turn you on?

**Josh: August 29, 2014**

I sat in a chair in the hotel lobby, sunglasses on and hood up over my face so no one could see me. I was fidgeting the entire time and I’m pretty sure if an average person walked past me, they would think I was on crack or a fugitive running from the cops. When I saw the black sedan pull up to the curb outside the hotel, I sprang up, pulled off my shades and hood and wheeled my suitcase outside. I could barely contain myself knowing that the only person I wanted to be around for the past month was finally here. And she was all mine for 3 whole days.

She stepped out of the car, smiling politely at Tim, the driver, as he held the door open for her. Even in a simple t-shirt and jeans, she was ravishing. And I wanted to ravish her right then and there. 

She seemed extra giddy and dropped her carry-on to the ground and ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck and almost knocking me over. It felt so good to hold her again. “I missed you Hutcherson.” She said muffled into my shoulder.

“You have no idea how shitty it’s been without you.” I smiled, gripping her tight. Feeling eyes staring at us from inside the hotel, I pulled away from her so I could give Tim a tip and grabbed the handle of her suitcase.

“Are you ready to go?” I nodded towards the parking lot where my rental car was waiting.  
“Wait, we’re not staying here?” She asked, looking at the hotel.  
“Are you kidding? I get 3 days with my girlfriend in south Florida. Do you honestly think I’m going to be spending them at an airport hotel?” I kept walking and she ran to catch up with me.  
“Well then where are we going?”

“You think I’m telling you and ruining this surprise? No way.”  
“But Josh, I don’t like surprises.” She whined.   
“I know. You’re a little snoop. You used to make me help you search your parent’s house for Christmas presents because you always had to know what you were getting before you opened them. What fun is that?” I unlocked the door and she climbed into the passenger seat while I put our bags in the trunk. 

“I just like to know ahead of time, ok?” She started as I sunk into the driver’s seat. “Josh you know I’m an impatient per...” Before she could go any further, I grabbed her face and crashed my lips onto hers. I had been aching for them since we left my house for the airport when she came to drop me off and when I kissed her, it felt like I was home.

“You’re also stubborn as hell.” I muttered when our lips broke away.  
“Why do you have to go and get me all flustered like that, huh?” She said when she opened her eyes.  
“Don’t you worry. I’ll make it up to you later.” I winked, knowing what I had in store for her.  
“Hmmm, ok.” She smiled, brushing her fingers over her lips.

 

We drove for an hour and a half and I could tell Rachael was starting to get restless by the time we went through Key Largo. She started fidgeting in her seat and tapping her fingers on the armrest when we came to a traffic light. 

“We’re almost there babe, I promise.” I grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.  
“Good, I’m starving! Oooh, Wendy’s! Pull in!” She directed.  
"Are you sure you want Wendy’s? I can take you to a nice place to eat."  
"Joshua. Spicy. Chicken. Nuggets. End of story."

She ordered a Baconater with the works, chocolate frosty, fries a spicy chicken nuggets. My kind of girl, for sure. All my exes would have ordered a salad or nothing at all because some of them thought they were too good for fast food. 

"Do you know how turned on I am over the fact that you can eat like a man?" I asked after I pulled away from the drive thru and handed her the bag.  
"Ew weirdo, how do my eating habits turn you on? Is this sexy to you?" She asked, pulling out a french fry and dipping it into her frosty before taking a bite.

"Oh god I love you Rachael." I blurted with a laugh, obviously forgetting that my brain and my mouth were connected.  
"What?" She asked mid-chew. I shook my head and focused on the road.  
"I'm sorry I don't know what the hell I just said. That was too soon, wasn't it."  
"I love you too Josh." She grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, making me feel like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. “I don’t think it was too soon. Not when we’ve known each other so long. So don’t beat yourself up over it.” She could tell I was embarrassed for saying it, so she leaned over the center console and kissed my cheek.

**Rachael: August 29, 2014**

We were on the road for another 20 minutes or so and Josh wouldn’t stop looking over at me the entire time. I had to yell at him a couple times so we wouldn’t crash. I still had absolutely no clue where the hell we were going. He pulled into a gated community after he made nice with the guard and told him who he was. My jaw dropped at the size of the houses on the street. Definitely not something you’d see in Union, Kentucky. 

“Holy shit!” I blurted with my mouth covered when we rolled into the driveway of a huge white house right on the beach. “Um whose house is this?”   
“Woody’s. He owed me a favor so I asked if we could stay here this weekend.”  
“Oh and he just handed the keys right over, just like that?” I rolled my eyes.  
“Yeah pretty much.” Josh chuckled and got our bags from the trunk. 

We showed ourselves around the 5 bedroom house and got our things settled in one of the bedrooms on the second floor before taking our food outside. We sat down on the long dock in the back of the house that went into the ocean and dangled our feet off the edge while we ate. 

The ocean breeze was warm and felt so good on my skin. The water was barely visible, but I loved the sound that the waves made when they crashed beneath us. “Can we just not leave this spot for the next few days?” I sighed, leaning up against Josh after we were done eating.  
“The next 3 days are yours, so if that’s what you want to do, we’ll do it.” He kissed my temple and grabbed my hand. 

We started kissing and before long, we were both shirtless and Josh pulled me up onto his lap so I was straddling him and I could feel his erection poking at me through his shorts. His lips found my neck and he traced his tongue down to my collarbone, then grazed the top of my bra. He made his way back up to my lips and just as I started grinding my hips against his, he whispered in between kisses, “Go. Get. In. The. Bedroom.” 

I stopped for a moment and looked at his face. “Do you think I’m kidding Wallace? Don’t make me chase you.” He warned with a stern voice. I stood up off his lap and took off towards the house, leaving my shirt and the Wendy’s bag behind. I could hear his footsteps pick up from behind me so I sped up, but something on the dock tripped me and I landed on my hands and knees. 

“Oh shit, Rach! Are you ok?” He ran up to where I was laying, laughing at myself because I’m such a moron sometimes.   
“Yeah, I’m alright. I think I’m bleeding but I’m ok.” I said, rubbing my knee.  
“Ok, come on.” He helped me up to stand. “New plan. No more running on the dock when it’s dark out.”  
“Good idea.” I laughed.

He rummaged through one of the bathrooms and found a bandaid for my scraped knee. I felt so bad because just as things were getting hot, I had to go and fall. I’m glad he could always look past my clumsiness.

“Why do I always ruin these moments?” I huffed after he put the bandaid on my knee and rolled my pant leg back down.   
“You didn’t ruin anything. Come on.” He took my hand and led me out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. “Lay down.” He instructed, turning off the light. I did as he asked and let my head hit the soft pillow under me. I couldn’t see anything but I felt him climb over top of me. He started at my lips, gliding his tongue against mine, then continued on to my neck, then down to my chest, pulling the fabric of my bra down so he could reach my nipples. 

A few moans escaped my mouth when his fingers reached into my jeans and traced the outside of my panties. He stopped kissing my chest and crept down to my jeans where he undid the button and zipper and slid them off slowly, so he wouldn’t rip the bandaid off. 

Once I heard my jeans hit the floor, he held my right leg up in the air and kissed his way up to my thigh, making sure to tickle me with the stubble on his chin along the way. 

“I hate you.” I laughed and felt his hot breath on my skin when he laughed too.   
“Sorry.” When he reached my panties and started pushing the fabric to the side, I just about lost it. He moaned when his tongue slid into my entrance and I had to clutch the pillows on either side of me to keep myself from not exploding. His tongue knew all the places to go to push me over the edge and I knew he had done this a time or two before.

“I’m almost there baby.” I panted, feeling him smile against me. He kept licking and sucking until my wave came crashing down around me. He kissed his way back up my body to where he met my lips again. I was left breathless and speechless at the same time. The only words I could formulate after he rolled off of me were, “I love you Josh.”  
“I love you too Rachael.”


	32. You're everything to me now

**Rachael: August 30, 2014**  
  
I opened my eyes the next morning, unsure of where I was at first, but I suddenly remembered when I looked to my right and saw Josh zonked out next to me, only missing his shirt. I, on the other hand, was still only wearing my panties and the area between my legs were still tingling from the night before. I slid up next to Josh and slowly laid my head on his chest so I wouldn’t wake him. I felt his arm snake around my shoulder as he took in a deep breath. He’s the only guy in the world who could give me butterflies with just the slightest gesture.   
  
He did just that when he delivered a soft kiss on my forehead and squeezed me tight. I glanced up at him, and studied his face for a moment, watching his nostrils flare as he inhaled, his eyes were still closed and he had a small smirk plastered across his face. I was in love alright. Big time. I’m talking head over heels, his and her towels, in L-O-V-E with Josh Hutcherson. I watched him a little while longer until his eyelashes fluttered open and he sleepily smiled down at me.   
  
“Mmm good morning girlfriend.” He greeted in a raspy voice.  
“Hey.” I smiled back, cuddling closer to him and pulling the sheet up over my shoulders.  
“Sleep good?” He asked, brushing a piece of hair from my face.  
“Mmmhmm. I don’t think I want to leave here. I hope Woody doesn’t mind.” I said, looking around at the intricate design on the ceiling above us.   
“We still have 2 days, we don’t need to leave just yet.” He turned onto his side to meet me at eye level and gave me a kiss.   
  
His phone started ringing from the nightstand and he rolled his eyes as he turned over to see who it was. “Just my publicist.” He silenced it and set it back down. “Doesn’t he know I’m with my girlfriend this weekend and can’t be bothered?”  
“Does he know you’re seeing someone?” I asked, laying my head back on his chest.  
“Not yet. I’ll tell him eventually.” He sighed. “He’s just so wrapped up with the premiere coming up, he doesn’t need to worry about my personal stuff right now.”   
“Have you told anyone else about us yet?” I looked up at him. I know he lived a life in the public eye, but we couldn’t keep our relationship a secret forever.  
“No. I’m trying to keep it under wraps at least until I’m done filming. I’d hate for you to get hounded by media, and fans. They’re brutal when it comes to girls I date.”  
I let out a huff of hot air. “Josh, I’ve been dealing with those people ever since I started flying out to LA to visit you, I think I can handle it.”  
“No. It’s too risky right now. I’ll tell you what, how about you come to the Mockingjay premiere with me and we’ll tell the whole world then.”   
“November?” I scowled.  
“It’s not that far. Hey.” He held my face up to his. “You’re everything to me now. If you get hurt in any way, I don’t know what I’ll do. November, I promise.”  
  
He kissed me again, this time it was more than a light peck, his mouth enveloped mine as our tongues danced across each other’s lips. I ran my hand up and down his chest, through his chest hair and over the ab muscles that retreated into his stomach when my fingers danced across them. He released a sexy grunt before rolling me onto my back.   
  
I watched the shadows from the wind blowing the palm trees outside dance across the room as I trailed invisible designs along his back while he buried his head into my neck, nipping and sucking on the skin. His breathing began to increase as he began grinding his morning wood against my inner thigh.   
  
“So this is what you whisked me away for all weekend?” I giggled.  
“Uh-huh.” He muffled against my skin, continuing to rub his hips against mine. I picked up his face to meet mine so I could feel his lips on mine again. He reached down under the sheet covering our bodies and traced his fingertips over the waistband of my panties before inching them down to my knees.   
  
He removed his boxers before climbing back on top of me, nudging my legs open with his knee.   
“I love you so much.” He grunted before slipping inside of me.  
“I love you too baby.” Josh delivered a hard, deep thrust into me and I couldn’t help but gasp at how good he felt. The first time we tried actually having sex didn’t go over so well since we were both three sheets to the wind. But this time he was all mine, we had no distractions and I could actually remember everything.   
  
Our bodies rocked back and forth against one another almost in slow motion, as we were both trying to savor every sense in this one moment we had together. The way he handled me was so gentle, you’d think it was my first time. His thrusts, however soon picked up speed as he got closer to his edge. Our eyes stayed locked on each other the whole time and he only broke eye contact was when he threw his head back to release himself into me. I loved the way his jaw muscles clenched as he pushed into me one more time.   
  
Josh’s body collapsed onto mine and we laid there for a while, not saying a word. We didn’t really need to.   
  
**Josh: August 30, 2014**  
  
Rachael’s hands stopped rubbing my back after a few minutes of me laying on top of her. “Hey why’d you stop?” I picked up my head to see that she had fallen back asleep. “Rach?” I kissed the tip of her nose, but she didn’t budge. I rolled off her and got close to her ear. “Wake up! You’re gonna be late for school!” I shouted.   
  
Her eyes shot straight open and she gave me a nice hard smack on the arm when I started laughing at her. “You’re a dick!” She grumbled, throwing a pillow at me.  
“Hey, come on. I’m sorry babe.” I laughed, throwing the pillow back at her. “Come on, get dressed, I’m hungry.”  
“You’re always hungry.” She laughed.  
“Well yeah, I need my energy since you just completely took advantage of me.”   
“I did no such thing!” She put her hands on her hips in defense.  
“Come on, I know it’s just really hard to resist me, you can stop denying it now.” I teased, earning an ever famous Rachael Wallace eye roll.   
  
  
We wound up at a little diner 10 minutes from Woody’s house. Before we were seated, Rachael picked up a copy of the local paper that was sitting on the front counter.   
“You’re such an old lady reading through the newspaper. Can’t you get your news on your phone?” I joked.  
“Shush. I sit in front of a computer 9 hours a day, I’d rather have something hard in my hands.” She paused and looked up at me from the pages, catching sight of the immature grin on my face. “Wait that’s not what I meant, I meant I’d rather have a hard copy. You know what I mean.” She shuffled in her seat and went back to flipping through the pages.   
  
I opened my menu to see what the specials were and heard my phone go off in my pocket. My publicist again. _What a jackass. Just let me have 2 days without having to think about business._ I let it go to voicemail and continued looking at the menu. The waitress came over to the table a few minutes later, Rachael was still happily flipping through the paper.   
  
“Good morning, can I start you off with something to drink?” The little old woman asked politely.  
“Oh my God!” Rachael gasped at something she saw reading the paper. “Sorry.” She smiled at the waitress and ordered her drink. I told the woman my drink order and told her we’d need a few minutes to order our food.   
  
When she walked away, I looked at Rachael who was as white as a ghost. “Babe are you ok? What’s wrong?”  
She clasped one hand over her mouth and slid the open paper to my side of the table. She started laughing when I read what was in front of me.   
  
There was a photo of Rachael and I from just the night before with a small write up under it.  
  
 **Hunger Games hottie Josh Hutcherson spotted in Miami on August 29th locked in a long embrace with his longtime friend, Rachael Wallace.**  
  
 **Could there be more behind this hug? Are these two taking their friendship to the next level? A picture is worth a thousand words. Sources tell us the two are just friends. But there’s always two sides to every story.  We asked an employee at the Embassy Suites on Northwest South River Drive where this photo was taken who tells us the two looked awfully smitten to see each other. Could this be the end of Josh Hutcherson’s days as a single man? We’ll have more as this story progresses.**  
  
“I think they’re onto us.” She laughed. “Wow they’re fast. This was last night!”   
“Yeah.” I muttered. I was pissed as all hell. There might as well have been fire coming out of my ears. “I need to call my publicist right now.” I got up out of my seat and started walking past the table to go outside, but she grabbed my arm to stop me.  
“No!” She pulled me down to sit next to her. “So what? Let them think what they want.” She took my face in her hands. “I refuse to let this ruin our weekend, ok? Just forget about it. Look where we are!” She gestured towards the ocean that could be seen from the window. “It will be ok.”  
  
She forced a smile out of me when her lips lightly touched mine. “Remind me how I got so lucky?” I smirked.  
“I think I’m the lucky one.” She kissed me again and nudged me with her shoulder before I got up and went back to my side of the table.


	33. I can't handle this! My feels!

**October 11, 2014 Rachael**  
  
"He's coming home today Cato!" I rubbed the top of his head when I woke up and checked my phone for messages. There were a couple from Josh.  
  
 _Getting on the plane now but your lazy ass is probably still sleeping._  
  
 _I'll text you when we land. Love you baby!_   
  
"Cato are you excited to meet Driver today?" He responded by wagging his tail then jumped off the bed, signaling it was time to go outside.  
  
I was anxious all week for Josh to get here. Ever since we said goodbye before we left Florida, this day was all I could think about. Josh was going to be home for a few weeks. Finally- I'd be able to spend more than 3 days with him since we started dating. And don't get me wrong, the wining and dining, fancy schmancy weekend we had in Florida was awesome, but when Josh was at home in Kentucky was what I liked best. Here he was just a good old fashioned Kentucky boy. Here he didn't get mobbed by crazy fans and cameramen. Here he was the guy I fell in love with.  
  
I got a text from Josh in the evening when his plane landed. I was the one who volunteered to pick him, Andre and Driver up from the airport. Josh didn’t know it yet, but I had a little surprise up my sleeve planned for his birthday.   
  
Josh told me not to exit my car when I got to the airport, for fear of me getting mobbed by paparazzi who always seemed to have a handle on Josh’s location. I was still under their radar since the photo of us hugging came out. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but Josh was still paranoid about it. After the photo came out, I had to lie straight to my coworkers and friends other than Molly who asked about it. I just told them that it was nothing more than a couple of old friends hanging out for the weekend.   
  
The hype about Josh’s relationship status seemed to die down after a few weeks when Josh was spotted out at a bar with one of his female co-stars. The tabloids deemed him a “playboy” who seemed to have a new girl on his arm every week. That obviously was not the case. When the photos of him and the girl came out, what the media failed to print was that they were out celebrating the girl’s boyfriend’s birthday and that the whole cast of the film was there too.   
  
I drummed my fingers on the dashboard waiting for the boys to come out. When I saw a young girl walk out of the doors crying like a baby, I knew they weren’t far behind. I smiled when I saw Josh being pulled by Driver out the doors. Driver led him to a grassy area so he could go to the bathroom and Andre made his way to the car.  
  
“Hey sweet cheeks!” I exclaimed when Andre opened the back door.   
“There she is!” He reached over the back of my seat and wrapped his bear like arms around me. “Do you know that that boy wouldn’t shut up about you the whole damn flight?” He muttered, looking out the window at Josh who was walking to the car with a grin on his face. “Every 20 minutes, he was all Rachael this and Rachael that. Blah blah blah. You two make me sick!”   
  
I giggled and greeted Driver when Josh let him in the back seat with Andre. “But he’s crazy about you Rach.” Andre sighed when Josh made his way around to the passenger side door, waving to a few photographers before he slid in. His scent filled the air, even overpowering Driver’s doggie breath. God he smells good. It took everything I had not to lean over the center console and plant my lips on his, but I knew we were still being watching, and I didn’t want to make Andre feel uncomfortable.   
  
“Hi beautiful.” He smirked and ran his thumb over my cheek before leaning over and giving me a long kiss on the lips. Flashes of light hit my car before I knew it.  
“Josh, cameras.” I warned, pushing him off.   
“I don’t care Rachael, I haven’t seen you in over a month. I’m gonna kiss my girlfriend if I want to.” I heard a belly laugh coming from the back seat and turned around to see Andre covering his face. “Oh my god, will you two just get married already? I can’t handle this! My feels!”  
  
I shook my head and pulled away from the curb. Josh grabbed my hand while I was driving and kept rubbing his thumb over my knuckles, making me long for his body to be up against mine. He and Andre were telling me a story about some guy at the airport in LA, but I wasn’t paying much attention.   
  
I was running through my plans for Josh’s birthday. I scored great tickets to the Cincinnati Bengals game through work for Josh, his family, Andre and I and afterwards I was going to take him to this great Japanese steakhouse in Cincinnati that was impossible to get reservations for. I was going to put out all the stops to make sure he knew how much I loved him.  
  
 **Josh: October 11, 2014**  
  
There was another car in the driveway when we rolled up to my parents’ house. I was really anxious to drop Driver and Andre off, say hi to my parents and Connor and book it to Rachael’s house to show her just how much I missed her. She looked damn good too in a little white sweater dress and knee high boots. Damn. I was going to have a hard time keeping my hands off her as soon as we got back in the car.   
  
I heard voices in the kitchen when we walked in the front door. Andre walked through the formal living room and into the kitchen and Rachael started following but I grabbed her hand to stop her before she could go anywhere. I backed her up into a corner at the bottom of the stairs and crashed my mouth onto hers. She let out a soft moan and wrapped her arms around my neck as our tongues got reacquainted.  
  
“Mmmmm Josh.” She breathed softly into my ear as I went for the weak spot on her neck. “Oooh, wait, babe.” I pretended not to hear her and continued to nip at her skin. She tapped my back. “Josh, parents house.” Buzzkill.   
“Alright. You win. Again.” I backed up, letting her catch her breath. “What else is knew?” I teased, earning a well-deserved punch.   
“Later.” She mouthed, stepping past me to see everyone in the kitchen. I groaned as I watched her walk away but loved seeing how she smiled whenever she saw my parents. I never thought I’d love someone so much.   
  
I stepped over my luggage and walked into the kitchen and froze when I saw that my publicist was sitting at the kitchen table. I had been avoiding him for a while, knowing I was in deep shit over the photo that came out of Rachael and I hugging in Miami.  
  
“Well look who finally decided to show his face!” He said with a snarky smile.  
“Frank, how are you?” I shook his hand and gave my mom a hug before sitting down next to Rachael at the kitchen island. I could tell from the look on his face that he was pissed that I hadn’t been returning his calls and had a feeling something bad was coming. He rarely made house visits.   
  
“Would you all mind giving giving us a minute?” He asked, looking directly at Rachael.   
“Yeah, sure.” Rachael politely smiled at him and scooted off the stool and followed everyone down to the basement.   
  
“So what’s up?” I asked Frank, adjusting the brim on my hat, something I do when I’m uncomfortable.  
“You never called me back. What gives man?”   
“I was really busy on set. You know I was filming.”  
“What’s with all these pictures of you and her?” He nodded to the basement door and held up his phone.  
“What do you mean all these pictures? There was just the one.”  
“No. Here.” He handed me his phone which had a photo shot of Rachael and I kissing just a half hour earlier at the airport.  
  
“Jesus Christ.” I snapped, shoving the phone back at him.   
“Now listen, I know you two have been friends for a long time, but this, whatever is going on between you two can’t happen. We can’t let it get out to the public that you two are dating. Now I like Rachael, don’t get me wrong. She's beautiful, talented, smart and successful, but she doesn't need to be running around with a celebrity."  
"Don't you tell me who my girlfriend should date you don't even know her." I shouted.  
  
"She's 28 for God sakes, she'll be looking to settle down soon! You're what’s known in the business as a heartthrob and your fans thrive over the fact that you're single. It's what some of them live for. If they see that you’re seriously dating someone, they're going start following someone else. Your fans have always been threatened by what you and  Rachael have, if they see that you two are an item, that will be the end of it. Studios take note of these things."  
  
“So what are you suggesting?” I lowered my voice.  
“Either end whatever is going on between you two - “  
“Not happening. Next option.” I crossed my arms over my chest.  
“Or deny that anything is going on.”  
“Yeah and what am I supposed to say to her? ‘Hey Rach, we can’t be seen in public together? because my publicist said so?’ I can’t do that. She’s waited so long to finally be able to tell people. She can’t keep secrets very well. She’s gonna be really upset.”  
“So don’t tell her anything. After the press tour you can announce it from the rooftops for all I care.”  
  
I called everyone back upstairs after Frank left and told them we had to go over my schedule for the next month. Rachael helped me get all my stuff down to my room and didn’t think anything of Frank being at the house. I decided to not say anything to her about what he said.   
  
She was knelt down on the floor, folding some of my shirts that got messed up in my bag and I couldn’t help but stare at her, at this woman who is quite possibly the love of my life. I walked over to her and grabbed her arm, making her stand up. “What?” She studied my eyes for a moment and I held her face in my hands and looked deep into her chocolate brown eyes. “Do you even know how much I love you right now?” I asked before crashing my mouth onto hers.   
“I think you need to show me. I’m not quite convinced.”


	34. My little California raisin

**Rachael” October 12, 2014**  
  
“Wake up birthday boy.” I hovered over Josh and kissed his cheek and ran my finger down his spine. He shuffled and turned his head towards me with his eyes still shut. My eyes scanned this skin on his bare back, over his broad shoulders, past his upper back tattoo, all the way down to the beginning of his ass that peaked out from under the sheet that was barely covering him. My hand gently cupped his left cheek, making his eyes shoot open.   
  
“What do you think you’re doing Wallace?” His voice was muffled against the pillow his head was on.   
“Sorry, you just look really....touchable right now. And I’m supposed to spank you because you’re 22.” I said, slapping his butt a couple times.  
“Mmmm.” His eyebrows narrowed and he groaned, lighting a fire down in between my legs.   
“You’re really cute when you’re sleepy.” I giggled and scooted closer to him. He draped an arm around me and opened his eyes to kiss my forehead.   
“Hmmm, nope.” Another kiss. “You are.”  
“You’re so cheesy.” I rolled my eyes and watched the stupid grin appear on his face.  
“Mmmm I like cheese.”   
“Oh my God. Lame. Come on, we need to get ready so we can meet your parents for breakfast before you get your present.” His eyes were shut and he was fake snoring. “Josh?” I shook him but got no response.   
  
I crept out of bed and padded across the room and slipped on Josh’s t-shirt and my underwear. After I let Cato outside and put a pot of coffee on, I went back in the bedroom to wake Josh up again. I tapped his shoulder but he didn’t move so I got my clothes out and was about to leave the room when I heard him yawn. I turned around to see him rolling over onto his back and scratching himself. Typical guy.  
  
I laughed to myself and made my way into the shower. I was standing under the water, washing my hair when I heard the bathroom door creak open.   
“Josh?” I hollered over the rushing water.   
“Need a hand in there?” He asked. The curtain pulled back and he stepped in, letting the shower head wet his body. “Excuse me, I believe I was in here first. Don’t be a water hog.” I scolded.   
  
“There’s room for two in here.” He smirked and splashed water in my face before he wrapped his arms around my waist, grabbing a handful of my ass. The familiar warm tingling sensation that I usually get when our bodies are so close together hit me and before I knew it, his lips were on mine and I could feel his growing erection start to poke me in between my thighs.  
  
“What do you think you’re doing to me, huh?” I asked when his mouth found my neck.  
“Getting my birthday present.” He grunted, rubbing his hand over my slit and dipping one finger inside. I parted my legs a little, letting his finger explore me and held onto his shoulders to keep my balance.   
  
He took his eyes off his hand to study my face for a moment. He smirked when I bit my bottom lip and went back to watching his finger pump in and out of me. My eyes fluttered closed as his finger worked its magic in between my legs.   
  
“But Josh, Today is YOUR birthday.” I kissed him and grabbed his member.  
“Yeah, I know. My present is watching you come.” _Oh my God_. He took his finger out of me and sucked on it before propping my leg up on the edge of the tub. He knelt down in front of me and I rested my hands on his head, fisting my fingers through his newly brown locks.   
  
He looked up at me, with water flowing onto his face, flying off his eyelashes when he blinked and spread my folds open before kissing my swollen bud that had been aching for his mouth since he went down on me last night. His tongue darted out of his mouth with each kiss he delivered to my center.  
  
"Oh my God" I gasped, gripping the shower curtain with one hand and biting my knuckle with the other as he continued lapping up my wetness.  
"Mmmm." He moaned against my skin, igniting a fire within me. My hips started grinding against his head and his tongue was furiously licking me. I wasn’t sure how much more I was going to be able to take.   
  
I stepped back and pulled him up to stand and locked an arm around his neck and stroked him softly, releasing a deep groan from him. He backed me up against a wall of the shower, crashing his mouth on mine, and held one of my legs up with his arm. He positioned himself at my entrance and let out a soft hissing sound when he slowly drove into me then pulled out just as slow. The friction between us caused my body temperature to rise each time he moved in and out and my head started spinning. When I had enough of him teasing me, I screamed "Harder, please! I can't take it!"  
  
He smiled and his eyes darkened as he obeyed my command and delivered several hard quick thrusts into me, pressing me right up against the wall behind me. His thumb reached in between us and rubbed circles around my clit and when he did, I started climbing my peak. He stared me down as he worked at satisfying me.   
  
My wave hit me when Josh removed his thumb from my middle and grasped one of my ass cheeks really hard. I threw my head back and moaned as loud as I could and felt Josh’s dick pulse around my center. He pulled out and wailed as he stroked himself and released himself into the shower drain. He smiled at me after he regained his composure and wrapped his arms around me.  
“I wasn’t planning on that being part of your birthday present.” I giggled.  
“Well I loved it. Thank you anyways.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and gave me a kiss.  
“You’re pruny.” I blurted, looking at his fingers.  
“You are too, my little California raisin.” He laughed and kissed the tips of my fingers.  
  
  
When we got out of the shower I made Josh open his 1st present: a Bengals jersey which he looked damn fine in when he tried it on for me. While waiting for Michelle to call to say everyone was ready to go out, Josh played in the back yard with Cato. I watched him from the kitchen window while sipping my coffee and had a permanent grin slapped on my face. He was like a big kid and I love that about him. I also love that he knows when to be serious and when to be a giant goofball. I can just picture what he’d be like as a dad someday. His kids are going to be really lucky.   
  
We met his parents, Connor and Andre out for breakfast and Michelle and I spent the whole time talking about when the boys were younger and all the stupid things they used to do. “This one time, do you remember when Josh and Connor took a bunch of golf balls from the driving range and put them in the bottom of your pool? Then they blamed it on Molly and I! I got in so much trouble but I didn’t even do anything!”  
  
“Yes you did Rach! You’re the one who told us to go get them because you two wanted to dive for them.” Josh piped in.  
“Shut up! I did no such thing!” I retorted. “And don’t even get me started with you two, ok? You guys thought it would be a good idea to dump bags of leaves all over my parents basement when I had a Halloween party one year. I had my ass handed to me.”   
“That was all Josh. I was too young to remember that.” Connor pointed to his brother who was now snickering. I threw my straw wrapper at him and stuck out my tongue.  
  
“You can save that tongue for later.” He whispered, putting his arm around me and giving me a kiss on the cheek.  
“I hate you.” I nudged him with my shoulder and rested my hand on his leg while we finished eating.   
  
  
We ended up at Paul Brown Stadium just before kickoff and pushed through the crowds of tailgaters in the parking lot and made our way to our seats right on the 50 yard line.   
“How did you get these seats babe?” Josh asked in amazement, looking out at the field.  
“I have my ways.” I answered. I didn’t tell him an old client who has a crush on me gave them to me. A little into the first quarter, the Bengals were getting hammered by Pittsburgh, so Josh got up to get us some beers with Andre.   
When they came back, Josh had about 10 photographers behind him with Andre in between them for protection. There were screaming fans all over the place so I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I’ll never forget when one photographer asked, “Josh, is that Rachael you’re here with? Is she your girlfriend? Clear up all these rumors!”   
And then like a bullet hitting me in the gut, Josh answered her with the most sincere face and said, “No, she’s not my girlfriend.”


	35. I'll be here to take care of your hangover

**Rachael: October 12, 2014**  
  
I swallowed hard and quickly made it look like I was focused on the game when Josh glanced over at me. A lump built in my throat as the tears started to well up in my eyes. I was thankfully wearing my sunglasses so no one could see. No, she’s not my girlfriend? I understand that he couldn’t just come out and say that we were dating, but hearing the words come out of his mouth hit me hard.    
  
The clicks of the camera went crazy when Josh handed me my beer. The paps were frantically screaming Josh’s name when he shuffled past the people at the end of our row and sat down next to me. Andre politely, but firmly asked the photographers to leave and motioned for security to take care of making sure they didn’t come back.  
  
I didn’t look at Josh when his arm snaked around my shoulder. I took a sip of my beer, mentioned something to Connor about his fantasy team, checked my phone for messages and did everything I could to not look at Josh. This was not the place or the time to talk about what just happened.  
  
When a play was under review in the second quarter, Josh snuck a kiss on my cheek. Oh now you want to act like we’re together. When I didn’t acknowledge him, he whispered, “Is something wrong?”  
“I’m fine.”  
“Rachael, I know what ‘I’m fine’ means in girl language. What’s bothering you? The cameras?”  
I nodded, still looking at the field, waiting for the refs to make their decision. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”  
“Alright come on.” Josh stood up and held out his hand.  
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking up at him.  
“Just come with me, please?”  
  
I stood up and scooted past the people in our row, holding onto Josh’s hand as he lead me to the stairs. He didn’t let go as we walked up to the main level, which took me by surprise, since I figured hundreds of eyes were on us. A few girls stopped him for photos when we reached the concourse but he politely turned them down and led me to a hallway that was closed off to staff. His hands found my cheeks that were now flushed and he gave me a soft peck on the lips, causing a few tears to fall from my eyes.  
  
“Oh baby. Come here.” His arms wrapped around me when he saw my state. “I don’t want to see you upset like this.”  
“I shouldn’t get upset. This is stupid.” I laughed and wiped my eyes.  
“You can tell me what’s wrong. I didn’t think they would be here.”  
  
“It’s not about them Josh. You told them I wasn’t your girlfriend and I know I’m being stupid for even saying anything because I know we’re not like ‘out’ yet but when I heard you say it, I dunno. It sounded so believable.”  
  
“Aww you’re my girlfriend. Of course you’re my girlfriend. I just had to them them they so they’d back off for a while. You know how they are. You shouldn’t get so worked up. I love you, ok?”   
“I know. love you too. I just hate this shit. It’s not fair I can’t even hold my boyfriend’s hand in public.”  
“I know babe, I know. We just need to wait a little while longer. Can we just forget this and have fun the rest of the day? It is my birthday you know.” He leaned down and put his hands on my shoulders and looked up at me with his dark hazel eyes.   
  
“Damn you and that face of yours Hutcherson.” I laughed and patted his cheek.   
“You love it.” He winked and kissed me before grabbing my hand and taking me back to our seats.  
  
 **Josh: October 12, 2014**  
  
We all wound up at an old karaoke bar in Union where some of my old buddies met us. Rachael was anxious to get up and sing. She had a few drinks at dinner and was already feeling tipsy by the time we got to the bar.   
  
I glanced around the room to see who the audience would be in case I got dragged on stage. There were a few groups of younger people and some older couples and a group of what looked like cougars sitting at the bar flirting with the young bartender.   
  
My old friend, Tyler, was the first to jump on stage after our first round of drinks and I could have killed him when he announced to everyone that I was there.   
  
“Excuse me ladies and gentlemen.” He shouted into the mic, holding his hand up. He winked at the cougars at the bar and continued. “We have a celebrity in our presence, a celebrity who is celebrating the big 22 tonight! Can we please hear it for our hometown hero, Josh Hutcherson! Give him a hand everybody! Come on!”   
  
He clapped as the spotlight shined on my face, blinding me. I stood up and waved when everyone started clapping for me. I could hear a few of the cougars cat call and whistle at me. I glanced at Rachael who was sitting between my mom and Andre and she was getting a kick out of my public embarrassment, laughing with my mom.   
  
My dad and Connor left around midnight and by this point, Rachael was completely shitfaced and having the time of her life. She and Molly did a fabulous rendition of Baby One More Time and I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d look like in a little school girl uniform. Sometimes I can’t help but think with my dick. I put my arm around her when she sat back down next to me and gave her a kiss on the cheek as she tried to cool herself down.   
  
“I wanna see you sing baby.” She whispered.   
“No way. I’m not drunk enough for that shit.”   
  
“Rach, come on with me and Andre!” My mom, who was also drunk off her ass, pulled Rachael up from her seat and the three made their way to the stage. I couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably when I heard the beginning of Love Shack come on over the speakers. Andre really got into it as he spun around on stage with his sunglasses on. My mom and Rach were his backup singers and all three had me on the floor the way they were dancing around.   
  
“That was pretty damn amazing.” I clapped for them when they came off stage and pulled Rachael in for a nice long kiss, feeling everyone’s eyes on us. I didn’t care though. I was so in love with her I had to kiss her right there. “I love you so much.” I hollered in her ear as the next song started. I don’t think she understood me though because she started laughing and clapping her hands. I knew it was time to cut her off for the night.   
  
She passed out as soon as I got her in the back seat of the car. Andre drove us to my parents house and helped me get her downstairs to my room. She opened her eyes briefly when I layed her down in my bed. “Josh?”  
“Hmm?” I was at her feet removing her shoes.  
“I’m not gonna feel good in the morning am I? Why’d you make me drink so much?”  
“You brought this upon yourself sweetheart.” I crawled up next to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “But I promise I’ll be here to take care of your hangover when you wake up, ok?”   
“Mmmm. I love you.” She muttered before rolling on her side and falling asleep with her arm draped over my waist.   
  
**Rachael: October 13, 2014**  
  
I shuffled into the office wearing my sunglasses and didn’t take them off all morning. The fluorescent lights were not doing it for me at all. Thankfully, Josh was there when I puked as soon as I woke up and was nice enough to take me to my house so I could get ready for work.   
  
My too perky for Monday morning co-worker, Amanda, popped into my office and sat in the chair across from my desk and folded her arms across her chest and studied me, crossing her legs and bouncing her foot up and down.   
  
“What?” I glared from behind my shades.  
“So what’s it like making out with Josh Hutcherson?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
“Excuse me?” I looked up at her.  
“I checked my Tumblr this morning Rach. Someone got you two on video making out last night.”   
“Oh Christ.” I let my head fall to my desk. When is this shit going to stop?  
“So tell me, is he a good kisser?”  
“I don’t remember much from last night. I had a little too much to drink.” I replied, rubbing my eyes.   
“Wait are you two....like.....a thing?” She squeaked. I shrugged innocently with a smile and her eyes lit up. “Oh my God!!!”  
“You can’t say a word. To anyone, promise?”  
“My lips are sealed.” She zipped her lips and clapped her hands like a peppy cheerleader.  
  
My desk phone rang and the receptionist informed me that I had a visitor waiting for me in the lobby. I checked myself in the mirror and made my way downstairs. I smiled politely when I saw Frank, Josh’s publicist thumbing through a magazine.  
  
“Hi Frank, nice to see you again. Can I help you?” He smiled and tipped his hat to me and put the magazine down.  
“Good morning sweetheart.” He gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. Weird. “Can we have a little chat?”   
“Uh, sure.” I was completely weirded out but decided to give him a moment of my time. I led him to one of our empty meeting rooms and closed the door behind me.  
  
“What’s going on?” I asked, sitting down across from him.  
"Rachael, these photos and videos of you and Josh need to stop. I got press people calling me at 3 in the morning asking about you two."  
"There’s nothing I could do about last night. I didn’t know people were going to be recording us." My head started pounding and I could feel a tornado coming my way.  
  
"Tell me something. You really care for Josh? Right?" He asked, leaning his elbows on the table.  
"Yeah. I love him more than anything."  
He smiled in a snarky manner. "That's precious.” He took a deep breath. “You need to do him a favor and end this with him."  
"I'm sorry?" I was flabbergasted. Did I hear him right? What the fuck was with this guy?  
  
"I've seen this before. When Josh is in a relationship, his head is in the clouds, his fans go crazy and it takes a toll on his job. You don’t want his career to be in jeopardy do you?” He looked up at me from under the brim of his hat. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him to get the fuck out. But I couldn’t.   
  
I swallowed hard. “No.”  
He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Perfect, so you’ll break up with him?”


	36. Oh yeah, he's definitely scoring points right now

**Josh: October 13, 2014**  
  
Andre and I were in Cincinnati talking to a couple high school groups about GSAs when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I couldn’t answer it because I was in the middle of talking, but when it went off again, I pulled it out to see who was calling. When I saw it was Rachael, I excused myself and while Andre kept the conversation going, I went into the hallway and answered.   
  
“Josh?” Rachael sounded upset. She breathed heavily into the phone.  
“Hey babe. How are you feeling?” I leaned up against a wall outside of the auditorium as a few students passed by me giving me a ‘hey I know you what are you doing here’ look.  
  
“Not good. You’ll never guess who just paid me a visit at my office.” She sighed.  
“Um, girl scouts trying to sell you cookies?” I tried to put a smile on her face but failed.  
“Josh...” Judging by her tone, now wasn’t the time to be funny.  
“Ok I’m sorry. What’s wrong?” I lifted myself off the wall and began pacing around the floor with my free hand shoved in my pocket.  
  
“Your publicist was just here. He told me all this stuff about how I’m not the kind of person who could handle your lifestyle. And he said that I had the potential to ruin your career.”  
“Wait, he went to your office? While you were working?” I felt my face becoming hot with anger knowing that someone I thought I could trust would have the nerve to accost my girlfriend.  
  
“Yeah and he said that if I really loved you I’d break up with you for your own good.”  
“Oh Jesus Rach. I’m really sorry he did this. He doesn’t think sometimes.”  
“What if he’s right Josh? What if I can’t handle it? And what if it messes up your work? I don’t want to-”  
  
“Rachael Elizabeth Wallace, will you just stop for a second?” I interrupted, raising my voice. “You’re talking like you’re on crack. Don’t let what Frank said go to your head, ok? I’m gonna talk to him because it’s not ok that he went to your work. No one is gonna keep me from being with you. I don’t care what he says.” I heard clapping from inside the auditorium and I knew Andre was finished. Rachael had a tendency of taking things to heart sometimes and I know what Frank said really got to her. I needed to show her that she was the most important woman in my life.  
  
  
 **Rachael: October 28, 2014:**  
  
“So what are you guys again?” Molly asked, thumbing through the racks at the Halloween shop in town.   
“He’s going as Riff Raff and I’m Magenta.”   
“Excuse me, who?” She blinked her eyes repeatedly.  
I rolled my eyes and kept searching the over-picked racks for a red wig. “Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mol. You didn’t like it.”  
“Oh. Whatever.” She shrugged and held up a slutty Ariel costume. “Oh my God I’m so getting this! Woooh bring on the hot boys!”   
  
My phone beeped in my bag and I fetched it while Molly was getting the accessories for her costume. **You, Me, Chinese food, Cato & Driver and Nat Geo tonight. Get ready. We’re nerds.**  
“What a dork.” I laughed to myself as I read Josh’s text. Molly stopped when she saw the smirk on my face.  
“Oh girl that boy has you sprung. Look at your shit eating grin!”   
“Yeah, he does.” I smiled even wider and typed back. **Yeah we are definitely nerds but thats ok because nerds get to have really hot nerdy sex after they watch Border Wars.**  
  
I like where you’re going with this Wallace  
  
Once Molly and I were satisfied with everything we picked out, we stood in line behind a number of frustrated people who waited til the last minute to get their costumes like us. The girl behind the counter was fed up by the time I reached her. She smirked at me then turned her attention towards the door where her eyes lit up. I glanced over my shoulder to see who she was staring at and quickly hid my face when I saw that it was Sam.  
  
“Oh fuck, look!” Molly slapped my arm when she watched him walk past the line.   
“I know, I know, I know! Don’t look at him!” I spun her around so she was now facing the register. The girl ringing me out obviously thought I was nuts.  
  
I cautiously looked around on our way out in hopes not to see Sam. I wanted nothing to do with him, at all. If it wasn’t for Josh, I’d still be eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every other night and crying over my wedding dress.   
  
I made it to my car and waved bye to Molly and was waiting to pull out of my parking space when Sam flew his hands in front of me, making me slam on the breaks. “Fuck fuck fuck.” I whispered, beating my hands on the steering wheel.  
  
I rolled down the window when Sam started walking towards me. He leaned in, smiling like an idiot, glancing around the inside of my car.  
“Hey stranger, I thought I saw you in there. How have you been?”   
“Great Sam. I’m actually in a hurry to go meet my boyfriend so...”I shooed him away and took his arms off the door. He got the hint that I still despised him.  
“Josh, right?” He asked, fumbling with his keys.  
“Yeah, how did you know that?” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Sam shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on the door.  
“It’s Union, Rach. Word gets around fast. And I always knew you two had a little thing for each other. I could just sense it the way your eyes would light up whenever you talked about him. I’m glad you’re happy Rach. You deserve it after your asshole ex fiance broke things off 3 weeks before your wedding.”  
I managed to let out a small chuckle. “Yeah. Thanks a lot. Take care of yourself.”   
  
  
**Rachael: October 31, 2014**  
  
“Sit still! Are you always this fidgety when you’re in makeup?” I laughed trying to put Josh’s makeup on to cover the bald wig. He kept getting handsy, trying to see under the skirt of my maid’s uniform.   
“Sorry. You shouldn’t be teasing me with these fishnets.” He muttered, trailing his hand up my thigh, sending a surge of energy rushing to my core. I tried not to let him see how hot he was making me and kept smearing the white makeup all over his face. “You know we probably have time before trick or treaters come.” He looked up at me innocently as his hand reached around my thigh and grabbed a handful of my right cheek. My doorbell rang downstairs and his shoulders slumped over.   
  
“Dammit. They come so early. Come on you.” I stepped back to get a look at his appearance and started laughing. “What’s so damn funny, huh?” He pulled me down to sit on his lap and started tickling me. “I”m the sexiest Riff Raff you’ll ever get baby. You better be thanking your lucky stars.”  
  
“Oh please.” I rolled my eyes and wiggled out of his grip and kissed his lips before pulling him up to stand. The doorbell rang again and Josh darted for the front door. I could hear him pretend to be scared of the little kids at the door while they all screamed at his costume. It was the cutest thing I ever saw when I walked downstairs and saw how excited he was to be answering my door and handing out candy.  
  
I leaned up against the closet door and watched him as a new set of kids came up and said ‘trick or treat’. He winked at me and shot a grin while he waited for the kids to get up to the door. _Oh yeah, he’s definitely scoring some points right now._ When he closed the door, I pushed him up against the wall and crashed my mouth on his, smearing the makeup on both our faces.  
  
“What’s that for?” He asked when I pulled away, wiping my lipstick off his mouth.  
“You’re just adorable. Pretending to be scared of the trick or treaters.”  
“What? They were scary! Little witches and Spidermans. Creepy stuff man!”   
“Ugh I love you.” I pushed him towards the door and let him do his thing while I finished getting ready.


	37. I absolutely trust you

**Josh: October 31, 2014**  
  
Rachael couldn't keep her hands off me when we were handing out candy. Whenever a group of trick or treaters left, she'd attack me and start unbuttoning my shirt. I had to have her hand candy out for a while because she got me so wound up, I couldn't let the evidence of what she was doing to me be seen by the little kids.   
  
She really wanted to stay home and have her way with me but I promised her we'd go to Tyler’s party for a few drinks and then I'd take her home and let her do what she wanted with me.  
  
We walked up the brick sidewalk at Tyler's house and rang the doorbell that was wired to sound creepy whenever it was rung. Fake bodies and gravestones were scattered throughout the front yard and the inside of the house was almost completely dark with the exception of a few black light bulbs in the living room.  
  
I followed Rachael inside, letting her guide me with my hands wrapped around her waist, pushing our way past the unfamiliar faces who, thankfully, didn’t recognize me in my costume. We made our way to the kitchen, where all the drinks were and mingled with a few people we knew until we found Tyler on the back deck playing beer pong.   
  
Rach and I waited for our turn to play and sat next to the fire pit. I knew the few drinks she already had were starting to get to her. She sat on my lap and kept trying to unbutton my pants.  
  
"You're gonna get us in trouble." I whispered as she laid her head on my chest.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn’t be allowed to have whiskey." She pouted.   
"Its ok babe." I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Just don't get too shitfaced, I want you to be coherent when you're screaming my name later." She lifted her head off my chest and smacked my arm with a sly grin on her face.  
“You’re terrible Hutcherson.” She kissed my cheek and stood up, adjusting her costume. “I’m gonna go get us some beers for our game.”   
  
I got up and walked to the table and watched Tyler and his friend try to make the final cup. Tyler looked around and saw that Rachael wasn’t here. “Isn’t she playing next?”  
“Yeah, she went to get our beer.”  
“Oh. Hey, you’ve been at her place this whole time since you’ve been home? I never see your car at your parents’ house.”  
  
“Yeah.” I laughed, not realizing that I have, in fact, spent the night at Rachael’s house almost every night for the last couple weeks. It felt like we were almost living together. Every night when she came home from work, I’d make us dinner, even if it was something as simple as macaroni and cheese and she’d tell me about her day and rant about her clients who drove her crazy. I often wondered what it would be like if we actually lived together. I wanted to bring it up just to see what she thought about it because I know she always loves LA whenever she visits, but now wasn’t the time to ask about it.  
  
She came back several minutes later and was in a much different mood than when she left. She handed me my beer and proceeded to our side of the table.  
“Everything ok?” I asked, moving to stand next to her.  
“Yeah, I ran into Shannon. She knows I’m here with you and she’s not happy about it. Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and began filling her cups.   
  
“Fuck her Rach. I didn’t even invite her. She probably found out you were coming and weaseled her way in somehow.” Tyler said from across the table.  
I just shrugged it off. Shannon doesn’t have a hold over me anymore. There’s nothing she could do or say to change the way I feel about Rachael.   
  
We finished our game and I told Rachael I’d have one more drink then we’d go. I knew she wasn’t feeling the party anymore once she saw Shannon. I kept telling her not to let it bother her, but in her stubborn way, she didn’t listen. I went inside and fixed myself a Jack and Coke and heard a painfully high pitched voice coming from behind me before two arms wrapped around my waist.  
  
“Joshy! You came! I’m so glad!” Shannon shouted over the crowd of people and the music. I pried her hands off me and turned around to face her.   
“What are you supposed to be?”  
  
“I’m a kitty cat. Meow.” She looked at me seductively and pretended to paw at me. I just rolled my eyes and turned around to screw the cap on the bottle of Jack. I turned back around and took a sip of my drink. “What are you doing here Shannon?”  
“I came home for my mom’s birthday, and I never miss Tyler’s Halloween party silly!” She grabbed the lapel of my jacket and gave it a tug.   
  
“So I take it by Rachael’s costume that you two are here together?”   
“Yeah, we are.” I smiled proudly.  
“Wait, are you guys dating like everyone is saying?” Shannon pursed her lips.  
“Not that it’s any of your business but yeah, we are actually. And you can’t stand it either, can you? To see me happy?”  
She laughed. “Josh you really know how to pick them don’t you. I should just tell you, and I’m not trying to like start anything, but she was hanging out with her ex the other day.”  
“You’re full of shit.”  
“You obviously haven’t seen the photos. They just came out yesterday. Here.” She pulled her phone out and typed something on the screen and handed it to me.  
  
There it was a photo of Sam leaning into Rachael’s car with a headline that said: **Josh Hutcherson’s supposed girlfriend gets cozy with her ex fiance. Maybe Josh is single after all.**  
  
“Hey, it got cold out there really fast.” Rachael walked up to Shannon and I and eyed the phone in my hands. “What the hell is that?” She grabbed the phone from me and covered her mouth.  
  
“I don’t know Rachael, you tell me what it looks like to you.” I said, not realizing how stern I was being with her.  
  
“How the fuck did someone get a picture of me? I was being followed all day? Did they get more?” She scrolled through the page and didn’t find anything. “Josh I swear to God I ran into him at the Halloween store when I picked up our costumes and that’s it. He waved me down. I couldn’t be a bitch and ignore him.” Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and I could see the fear in her eyes.  
  
 **Rachael: October 31, 2014**   
  
I threw Shannon’s phone back at her and was so afraid at Josh being mad at me and that there were people taking my photo again that I ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I sat down on the toilet seat and cried. It’s all I could do. The feeling of being watched unknowingly really gave me the creeps.   
  
Was someone hiding in the bushes with camouflage or something? How did they know I was going to be at the Halloween store? They must have followed me from work. Or maybe it was just someone who recognized me from all the recent tabloids and snapped my photo with their phone. And that headline. ‘Getting cozy with her ex?’ Talking to someone is getting ‘cozy’? I hated all of this bullshit.  
  
A faint knock on the door came within a few minutes of me being in the bathroom. I knew it was Josh. “Rach, will you open the door please?” He jiggled the handle a few times and knocked again, this time harder. “Please Rachael? I look like an idiot talking to the door out here.” I stood up and wiped my eyes, smearing my makeup, and slowly opened the door.   
  
He took one look at me and locked the door before grabbing a washcloth from the bathroom closet. “Sit down.” He instructed and turned on the faucet to get the washcloth wet.   
“Josh, I-”  
“Shhh.” He cut me off. His mouth went into a hard line as he furrowed his eyebrows and concentrated on the sink.  
“But Josh, can you just-”  
  
“No!” He glared at me and wrung out the washcloth before making his way over to me. “Let me see your face.” He picked my chin up and wiped my makeup off with the washcloth.   
“Josh.” I spoke just above a whisper. He tossed the washcloth into the sink and knelt down in front of me, putting his hands on my hips.   
  
“Rachael, I hate seeing you upset.” His head fell to my lap and I put my hands on his head and took his ridiculous looking wig off and ran my fingers through his hair. He picked his head up and his cheeks were flushed. “I’m going to find out who the fuck took photos of you and sent them to the media. They’ll be sorry.” He stood up and walked back to the sink and proceeded to rinse off the washcloth. His eyes were once again concentrated on it. I walked up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder.  
  
“I understand if you’re mad at me because of Sam.” Tears started to well in my eyes again.  
He looked at my reflection in the mirror. “I’m not mad at you. I just wish you told me you ran into him.” His tone was hard and I couldn’t help but feel like I was a kid being scolded by my parents when I neglected to tell them about failing a test in school.  
  
"I know. I'm really sorry baby. I told you it was nothing." I studied his face but there was nothing.  
He didn't look me in the eye. He just spun me around so my back was facing the sink and crashed his lips on mine, taking my breath away. I had to hold onto his waist for balance. He moved to my neck then nipped at my earlobe before he whispered, "I absolutely trust you." His body so close to mine along with his hot breath and comforting words were enough to make me cry and surrender to him at the same time.  
  
His lips met mine again, more forcefully and he picked me up and sat me on the edge of the sink. His hand trailed up my thigh and brushed over my panties that were still covered by my stockings and back down my other thigh. "God you're sexy in these." He whispered against my other ear.he had me so stirred up all I could mutter was a very meek, "Thank you." Making him laugh devilishly against my neck.  
  
“But they need to come off.” He tore a small slit in the stockings between my legs. “Right.” Another tear. “Now.” In one giant ripping sound, they were almost completely off and I was on edge wondering what he’d do next. He knelt down in front of me and kissed his way from my knee to my inner thigh, making me flinch at the way the stubble on his face felt against my skin. I had nothing to hold onto but the edge of the sink for support when he lifted my skirt above my hips and pushed the fabric of my underwear away.   
  
His lips met my skin again, delivering warm puffs of air over my womanhood, making me shudder with every breath. He looked up at me and grinned before diving his tongue into me, swirling it over my swollen bud, humming and moaning as he continued to lick me. Everytime he made a noise, it vibrated throughout my whole body. I wrapped my legs around his neck and began riding him, feeling my orgasm getting closer and closer.   
  
A knock at the door made the both of us jump. Josh kept eating me and I shouted with all the anger in the world, “Someone’s fucking IN here!” The person had to know that disturbing me right before I was about to come meant bad news for them. Josh looked up at me again and plunged a finger into me while he kept sucking on my clit. It pushed me over the edge. My whole body started shaking as my orgasm hit me like a freight train.   
  
Satisfied with himself, he stood up, wiping his mouth and smiling and kissed my cheek before helping me clean up.   
  
“Can we please get out of here now?” I begged as we left the bathroom.  
“Where are we gonna go? We’re both too drunk to drive anywhere.”  
“We can go to your parent’s house, they’re down the street.”  
He huffed and slumped his shoulders before his eyes lit up. “Let’s go to the creek instead.”


	38. I'm really proud of you in case I don't get to tell you later

**Josh: November 20, 2014**  
  
"Special delivery for Mr. Hutcherson." Andre announced from the intercom outside the gate at my house. I had only been home a few days and was starting to get used to being in California again after starting the press tour for Mockingjay. New York, Seattle, Miami, Toronto and Vancouver- all in 3 weeks.   
  
I was happy to be home, even if it was for only a few days, and I was really happy that Rachael could fly out for the big premiere. I never brought a girlfriend to one of my movies before and I was a little nervous to see her reaction to not only the film, but to the experience of being on a red carpet with me with hundreds of cameras going off and reporters yelling.   
  
I hit the buzzer and watched Andre’s car roll up the driveway. I did a quick check around to make sure the house was clean enough to have other people staying in and when I heard the car doors close, I did a quick check in the mirror and stepped onto the front porch.   
  
Rachael started walking up the steps, laughing at something Andre was saying. I watched her tuck a piece of her long brown hair behind her ear and waited for Andre to shut the trunk. She held a black garment bag over her arm and Andre was carrying her suitcase.   
  
“Wow. You’re only here for a few days, you packed like you’re staying for a month!” I shouted from the top of the steps, waiting for her to make it to the top.  
“Well I have a lot of shoes. What can I say? Your obsession is rubbing off on me.” She laughed, scrunching her nose at me.   
  
“Get over here.” I groaned, holding my arms out. She laughed and hung her dress over the balcony and wrapped her arms around my waist. All the nervousness I was feeling for the last couple days about the premiere seemed to melt away when I got to hold her. She held my face in her hands and gave me a kiss. “Three weeks is way too long to be away from you.” She said, pulling away.  
  
“Oh, ew. Nope.” Andre covered his eyes and wheeled Rachael’s suitcase onto the porch. “I’m gonna leave this here. I have to run out. SBNN stuff.” He looked at me and I nodded, understanding.   
Rachael took her arms off me and put them around Andre. “Thank you for picking me up.”   
“Anything for you honey. Take a picture of your dress when you put it on tomorrow!”   
“Alright. Get out of here.” She smiled, pushing him away. When he was out of sight, I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside, leaving her stuff on the porch. “Josh!” She protested.  
  
“Don’t you ‘Josh’ me.” I backed her up against the front door when it closed and let her have it. A soft moan escaped her mouth as I started rocking my hips against her. She cried out for me. She wanted me as much as I had to have her. “Bedroom?” I panted, releasing her from the door.   
“Mmmmhmm.” She nodded and followed me down the hall.   
  
I woke up an hour later with my arms wrapped around her naked body. She looked so peaceful and comfortable sleeping, I didn’t want to wake her up. I slowly crept out of bed and put my clothes back on before going outside to grab her things.   
  
I was tempted to unzip the bag her dress was in to see what it looked like for tomorrow night, but I stopped myself. I knew she wanted to surprise me when she put it on. She said she spent hours with my mom going shopping for it. I hung the dress up in the hall closet and wheeled her suitcase to the bedroom where she was still asleep.  
  
I grabbed my phone from the dresser and went to the living room to make a call to my new agent, Joanie, to make sure everything was squared away for the premiere tomorrow. She sat down with me after I let Frank go and worked out a plan to let the public know I was seeing someone in a way that wouldn’t make my fans go nuts.   
  
I started to get hungry for dinner so I went to my room and kissed Rachael’s forehead to wake her up. She stirred a little, then rolled over onto her other side. “Baby are you hungry?” She didn’t answer so I left her alone and went to the kitchen and dug out a pack of bacon. This will wake her up. I thought to myself with a smile.   
  
Low and behold, the smell of crackling bacon always gets Rachael moving. She shuffled into the kitchen, only wearing one of my hoodies and her underwear. “Looks good on you.” I eyed her up and down before turning back to the counter.   
“Thanks. I hope you don’t mind I stole your sweatshirt. What are you making?” She asked, leaning over my shoulder to see what I was doing.   
  
“It’s fine.” I kissed her forehead and went back to putting the burger patties together. “We’re having burgers with bacon on them.”  
“Good, I’m starving.” She moved next to me and leaned up against the counter. “Can I help?”  
“You’re always starving. You can chop the onions and tomatoes.” I nodded to the knife and cutting board on the other side of me. She brushed her hand over my back when she walked behind me, sending shivers down my body, and started chopping away.  
  
“So is this what it’s gonna be like when we live together?” I blurted after a minute, something I have a tendency to do a lot.  
She stopped chopping for a second. “Live together?”  
“Yeah, well I mean not like right now. But someday maybe. I was thinking it would be cool if you moved here so we could see each other more often. It’s just something to think about.”   
“You want me to move in here with you?” She set the knife down and turned to face me.  
“Yeah, or maybe we could get our own place?”  
She smiled wide and leaned in to kiss me. “I love you.”   
“I love you too. So do you want to?” I asked, like an excited puppy.  
“I’ll think about it Josh. But you should be focusing on the premiere and your press stuff right now. When you come back from Europe we’ll talk about it. I don’t want your head all over the place.” She said, brushing my cheek and went back to chopping.  
  
 **Rachael: November 21, 2014**  
  
“Want to go through the interview questions one more time?” I asked, putting on my earrings in the mirror.  
“No, I think I got it down now. Does this look straight to you?” Josh stood behind me and adjusted his black tie. He was nervous but looked so handsome with his hair slicked back and a clean shave. I turned around and kissed his cheek and made sure his tie was on straight. “You look really hot right now Hutcherson.”   
  
“Mmm thank you. So do you.” He brushed his fingers through my hair that was hanging on my shoulders and traced his hands down over my bra and across the waistband of my shorts. I smacked his hand away when I saw that he was getting excited. “That will happen later. You need to focus and the limo will be here soon.”   
  
“You’re a fun sucker.” He pouted.   
“I’m sorry, but I need to finish getting ready. Walk it off.” I patted him on the shoulder and grabbed the beautiful necklace Michelle let me borrow and put it on. I heard Josh’s buzzer go off and with a sigh, Josh ran to the door to let in the driver.   
  
I hurried to the bedroom and took out my champagne low cut dress. It was perfect and fit like a dream. I slipped it on along with my shoes and grabbed my clutch from my suitcase. Josh was putting on his jacket when I came out and stood at the end of the hallway. He straightened his collar and stopped moving when he saw me. “Wow. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He pat his heart like he had just been shot and fell against the wall.   
  
“You’re so lame.” I laughed and gave him a kiss.   
“God I can’t wait to get you home. Damn.” He held the door open for me, smiling like a cocky bastard.   
  
  
We arrived at Nokia Theatre 45 minutes later and I really felt the nerves starting to kick in when I saw the amount of people screaming for Josh, Jennifer and Liam, the constant flashes of the cameras and lines of reporters. I took in a huge breath looking out the windows of the limo. Josh grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You can do this Rach. I’ll be right here with you. Just follow my lead, ok?”  
I nodded and smiled when I saw the concern on his face. “I’m really proud of you, in case I don’t get to tell you later.”   
  
He smiled back and gave me a kiss before the door opened and the screaming girls surrounding the red carpet went crazy when they saw Josh. “Josh Josh Oh my God! Sign this! I love you! Peeta! Marry me!” Screams were coming from all around us and I didn’t let go of Josh’s hand no matter what as he walked towards the red carpet and waved to people.  
  
A woman with a clipboard, I’m assuming was Joanie, his new publicist, greeted Josh and smiled warmly at me and said something to Josh, leading him to where Jennifer and Francis Lawrence were standing.   
  
The next 30 minutes were a bit of a blur. Lots of cameras, interviews, reporters, photos with the cast, autograph signings. It was nuts. I don’t know how Josh can do it. I stayed back with Joanie and a few security people as Josh worked his magic. He really knew how to lay on the charm with the reporters.   
  
I watched as Josh interviewed with the last reporter on the carpet, she was from E. She asked about the movie and how he was handling the hype from the Hunger Games fame, same old questions. Then she asked who he was here with, nodding to my direction. “Uh, I actually brought my girlfriend here with me tonight.”   
  
“Oh so you DO have a girlfriend?” She asked, writing on her notepad.  
“Yes, she’s pretty incredible.” He smiled, looking back at me. “She’s been behind me through my whole acting career pretty much so it’s awesome being able to bring her to share this with me.”  
“Can we get a few photos of you two?” She asked with pure excitement that she was the one getting to clear up the rumors about us.   
  
“Just a couple then we have to get you inside.” Joanie whispered to me before pushing me to stand next to Josh. Flashes were coming from every direction and all I could do was smile and cling on to Josh for dear life. I didn’t think twice about the insanity that was about to come my way in the next couple days.


	39. Paris is lonely without someone to share it with

**Rachael: December 8, 2014**  
  
When I got home after the premiere in LA, the local media in Cincinnati went nuts. They kept digging for information about me - interviewing my friends and family and coworkers about how I spent my spare time and what I was like when I was younger. I wasn’t used to it at all. I didn’t know what anyone would find interesting about my life other than me dating Josh.   
  
I couldn’t go anywhere without someone saying something to me about it. My coworkers were the worst. They kept grilling me for details during the workday, l but I kept my mouth shut. Even my clients knew what was going on and would say something about it when I’d meet with them. Thankfully, it didn’t affect their impression of my work with the company.   
  
Molly kept telling me about what Josh’s fans were saying about me on the websites she frequently went to - how I was a gold digger, that I’ve been stealing Josh away from his girlfriends for years, how we wouldn’t last because I was just a “phase” for him. Other fans were really sweet and said how excited they were that we were dating now. Some even went out of their way to email me directly and tell me how excited they were for us.  
  
Josh left a couple days after Thanksgiving for his Europe press tour and would be gone until a few days before Christmas and not having him here to help me deal with the photographers and media was really hard. Ever since Thanksgiving, something was different about him, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. He was like a ball of nerves around me for some reason. I knew he wanted me to think about moving out to LA but with all the attention I was getting just being in Kentucky, I don’t know how I could handle it in California where the photographers are literally everywhere.   
  
  
I went to lunch with Molly and a couple guys she worked, Jeff and Adam with at a restaurant down the street from my office. We had just got our food when Jeff noticed someone taking our photo. “What is that girl doing?” He nodded to her.  
  
I rolled my eyes and adjusted my position so she couldn’t get any more shots of my face. “Sorry. My boyfriend is - “  
“Josh Hutcherson, yeah I know.” He chuckled.  
“Oh of course you do. We’ll all be on some website within a half hour, guaranteed. She’s probably telling someone that I’m out on a double date right now. Same shit different day.”  
“Rachael isn’t really used to this.” Molly spoke up.   
“I think it’s pretty cool actually.” Adam said, wiping his mouth. “Seeing yourself everywhere. it would be pretty sweet.”  
“Well it’s not. Not when you can’t even go to the grocery store without people coming up to you asking all these questions. It’s a pain in the ass.”  
“But Josh is worth it, right?” Molly winked.  
“Yeah. He is.”  
“So it’s just something you need to get used to. It will die down soon, I’m sure. People just love a good story, that’s all.”  
  
 **Josh: December 8, 2014**  
  
I got in to my hotel with just a few hours to relax and get ready for the premiere. Paris is a lonely place without someone to share it with. Rachael would love it here too. Maybe someday we’d go - just the two of us. I got my suit out and hung it on the back of my bedroom door for my assistant to steam and took out my phone to call Rachael.   
  
“Hey what’s up babe?” I heard papers ruffling around in the background when she answered.  
“What on earth are you doing over there?” I smiled at the sound of her voice and sat at the end of the bed, taking my shoes off.  
  
“Ugh, I have this dinner presentation thing tonight and I’m trying to find this report that I know I printed but I don’t have it.” She paused to take a breath. “I’m sorry, you don’t care. What are you doing? How’s Paris?”  
  
“It would be better if you were here with me.” I heard a knock on my door and got up to answer. “I’m just in the room hanging out before I have to get ready, missing you obviously.” I opened the door and my assistant handed me a bright blue bag. I mouthed ‘thank you’ to her and gently set it on the table and took out its contents.   
  
“I know. I miss you too. Oh, before I forget to tell you, some girl took my picture when I was at lunch with Molly and two of her guy friends from work so if you see like an article or something come out saying I’m cheating on you, it’s wrong. I swear I don’t know where these people come off just randomly taking pictures of people out in public....”  
  
Rachael went on and on about this girl who took her picture but I wasn’t listening. All I could focus on was what I was holding in front of me. My palms began to sweat and I swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in my throat. I studied every miniscule detail of it before putting it back in the bag.   
  
“Rach?” I cut her off.  
“Yeah? What?”  
“Have you thought about LA anymore? Because I have, a lot.”  
“Uh, yeah a little. But I can’t talk about it right here Josh.”  
“No I know. I just wanted to make sure you’re thinking about it at least. I’ll be home before we know it.”  
“Yeah, I know. And I can’t wait til you get here. Listen, I have to go finish this presentation but call me later after the movie, ok?”  
“Of course, I love you babe.”  
“I love you too.”  
  
  
 **Rachael: December 8, 2014**  
  
Smoothing out my pencil skirt and jacket, I took one more look in the mirror and made sure I had everything I needed for my presentation before heading out. Josh sent me a text message while I was driving to Cincinnati.  The movie just got done. Good luck tonight, you’ll be awesome. Call me when you finish. Love you!  
  
I pulled into the parking lot of Primavera, a gorgeous fine dining restaurant in Cincinnati, where I was taking my potential client, Mr. Edwards out for dinner. I had been working on this presentation all last week and if I landed the account, I’d be looking at a nice promotion.   
  
I had everything displayed on the table for him to take a look at while I went over each piece. He had his eye on one design mockup and picked it up to study it more. I put some of the other pieces I went over back in my bag and saw that a couple people were looking at my table. I recognized the woman from the local news.   
  
She smiled and pranced over to the table, practically clapping her hands along the way. “Excuse me, Rachael Wallace?” She looked at Mr. Edwards briefly. “Sorry, are you in the middle of something?”  
“Yes, I’m with a client, can I help you?”  
“OH! My apologies!” She cackled. “What are your plans for the holidays? Are you going to be spending them with Josh and his family?” She pulled out her pad of paper and began jotting down notes. I noticed the man she was having dinner with pulled out his camera and took a couple shots of my client and I at the table  
  
“I’m sorry. I’m not discussing this right now. Would you mind excusing us please?”   
“Oh sure sweetie.” She handed me her card. “Call me. I’d love to hear your perspective on what Josh is like when he’s at home. Enjoy your dinner!”  
  
When she walked away, I profusely apologized to Mr. Edwards for the interruption.   
“Please, don’t apologize. I knew I recognized you from somewhere. I’m amazed at your professionalism. If I was you I would have told that lady to go take a hike off a cliff.” He chuckled. “Listen, everything looks great here. I need to talk to my people but I’m sold. Can I call you in a couple days to go over the details? I might need you to come in and present all this stuff to them.”  
“That’s wonderful. Thank you so much. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. And again, I’m so sorry for what happened.” I stood up, putting everything in my bag.   
“Yeah those media people are like cockroaches. They never go away. They’ll always find a way to get their story.” He slipped on his jacket and shook my hand. “I’ll be in touch soon. Thank you for dinner.”  
  
 **Rachael: December 9, 2014**  
  
My boss called me into her office in the afternoon. I was hoping she had heard from Mr. Edwards with his decision, but the frown on her face told me otherwise. She told me to sit down and closed her door.   
  
“Rachael, what happened last night?”  
“I thought it went well. Why?”  
“We have a problem. These came out this morning.” She slid a newspaper over to me, displaying photos from last night. She pointed to one photo and her finger swept over the large poster in Mr. Edwards’ hands with the slogan we came up with for his company. “Their biggest competitor saw these and copyrighted the slogan.”  
  
“What? That’s bullshit!” I stood up out of my chair. “Can’t we do something? That woman had no right to be there and those photos shouldn’t have been taken! What the hell?” I was on the verge of tears.  
“There’s nothing we can do sweetie. We lost the account. I’m really sorry. Please have a seat.” Her tone was soft. “Rachael, we can’t have this happen again. I know that your personal life is all out in the open for the world to see but it has to stop. We value your work here and people in the industry have the highest respect for you I’d hate for you to lose that just because of your personal stuff.”  
“So what am I supposed to do? I can’t tell them to go away.” Tears started falling down my face.  
“I don’t know. But you need to figure it out soon or I’m afraid we’ll need to...”  
“No. Don’t say that. I’ll handle it. I promise. Can I take the rest of the day?”  
“Go ahead.” She sighed, waving me away.  
  
When I got home, I was a mess. My mind was running in circles. What was I supposed to do? I loved my job and didn’t want it to be in jeopardy after everything I worked so hard for. I pulled out my phone and called Josh. I didn’t care what he was doing. He didn’t pick up so I left him a voice mail that I wish I could take back.   
  
“Josh it’s me. I really need to talk to you so can you please call me back as soon as you get this? I don’t know what to do. I might get fired because of these photos that came out today and I don’t know what else to do. And you’re not here I don’t know Josh.” I was sobbing into the phone as my heart broke into a thousand pieces. “I don’t know if we should see each other anymore. I’m so sorry. Please call me.”


	40. If you think this conversation is over, you're dead wrong

**Josh: December 9, 2014**  
  
“Christmas? Are you sure? Oh man, that’s really fast, isn’t it?” Andre asked, examining the ring I let him hold.  
“Yeah, but I’m crazy about her. I don’t want anyone else. She’s it for me. Besides, you’re the one who said ‘just get married already!’ Remember?” I said, taking the ring back and putting it in its box.  
  
“Yeah but I didn’t think you would actually take me seriously. I think you’re pushing it. Maybe you should talk to her first, see if she even wants to get married. She was engaged to another guy not even a year ago, remember?”  
  
“Yeah.” I sighed and took a sip of my drink. “But I don’t want to wait. Christmas it is.” My heart started beating fast thinking of what her reaction would be. Seeing her eyes light up and her jaw drop as I kneel in front of her in front of our families on Christmas morning. It was going to be perfect.  
  
As we walked outside of the restaurant after paying the bill, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I saw that I had a few text messages, a missed call and a voicemail. I scrolled through the texts that were all pretty pointless, then smiled when I saw that Rachael was the missed call. “Oh look, my future bride.” I chuckled, showing Andre the screen. He just shook his head and kept walking.   
  
I held the phone to my ear and waited for her voice. She was frantic and my smile faded as soon as I heard how upset she was. I stopped walking and moved towards a storefront, away from the other pedestrians on the sidewalk.   
  
“Josh it’s me. I really need to talk to you so can you please call me back as soon as you get this? I don’t know what to do. I might get fired because of these photos that came out today and I don’t know what else to do. And you’re not here I don’t know Josh, maybe we shouldn’t see each other anymore. I’m so sorry. Please call me.”  
  
“Everything ok?” Andre asked, seeing the look on my face. I had to find a place to sit. I felt dizzy as her words repeated in my head. She was letting the attention get to her and I hated that I couldn’t do anything about it being so far away. She wanted someone who could always be there for her and I couldn’t be that person.   
  
I sat down on a nearby bench and still hadn’t said a word to Andre when he kept asking what happened. I waited for her to pick up. She had to pick up. I wasn’t ready to give up this easily. Even if I had to fight with her, this wasn’t going to happen.  
  
“Josh?” She cried into the phone. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to do. I can’t do this anymore.”  
“Rachael, I need you to calm down for me, can you do that? Just take a deep breath.” Hearing her cry and knowing she was halfway around the world felt like I was being stabbed in the heart with a dull knife. I felt the familiar lump in my throat telling me this wasn’t going to end well.  
She breathed in and out. “I’m exhausted Josh.”  
“Exhausted from what? What happened?”  
“I’m exhausted of being the center of attention everywhere I go. I could lose my job because of this bullshit.”  
  
“Guess what? I don’t believe you. That’s not the real reason you’re upset. You hate your job. There’s a deeper reason for that voicemail. What is it Rachael?” I could see right through her and could tell she had been letting this build up inside her for a while.  
  
“Josh.” She huffed a breath of frustrated air. “I think we rushed into things too fast.”  
“Too fast? What’s too fast? It’s not like I’m rushing you down the aisle or anything.” I put my hand over the ring box in my pocket and considered it just another piece of jewelry.  
  
“You automatically assumed that I was going to move to LA with you. You were so excited about it at Thanksgiving to tell people. It’s like you want me to drop everything, quit my job, which I actually love, and move across the country for you when you’ll never be home anyway. So I’ll be stuck in California by myself waiting up for you all the time, wondering what part of the world you’re in at any given moment.”  
  
“Is that how you really feel? I thought you were excited!” I said, raising my voice. Andre was patiently sitting next to me, pretending not to listen. He pointed to his watch. We had to make it back to the hotel so I could pack for my flight to Rome so we got up and started walking again.  
“Yeah well I guess I’m not. And I don’t appreciate you yelling at me Josh. I mean its just really selfish of you just to assume I’d go.”  
  
“Oh so now I’m selfish? Wanting to see you more than once a month is selfish? Ok. Did I do something wrong here? I think I’ve been a pretty good boyfriend these past 5 months, haven’t I?” Now I was desperate. I sounded pathetic. Just stop fighting her Josh.  
“Josh....it’s...it’s just...it’s all really hard and I don’t know what else to do. I’m really sorry.” She started crying again.  
  
“So want to end this because it’s hard? I got news for you Rach, if this relationship wasn’t worth it, it would be easy. But it’s not. It is really fucking hard but you’re worth it to me. Giving up isn’t something the Rachael Wallace I used to know would do. She would fight just as hard, if not harder than I am.” Tears started stinging my eyes in the cold evening air. There was nothing I could do to change her mind. Once she decides something, that’s it. It’s always her way or the highway. I hated that about her. Stubborn as a brick wall.  
  
“I’m really sorry. I think we just need this break for a little while.” Her voice had softened and she sniffled a few times.  
“A break. Awesome. So how long is this break supposed to last? What about Christmas? Are we supposed to just act like everything is ok? I can't do that. I'm not that great of an actor. And if you think I can go back to being just friends you can forget about it."  
  
"Well I don't know what you want me to do here Josh. You have no idea what this is like for me. I can't be in the spotlight. I just can't do it. I feel like I'm being pushed and pulled everywhere I go and I know it's only going to be ten times worse in LA.” She sobbed into the phone.   
  
“There’s nothing I can do from where I am right now. I’ll let you have your way, like I always do, and give you your space, but if you think this conversation is over, you’re dead wrong.” I didn’t want to spend any more time going nowhere with her. She did what she wanted and didn’t care if it hurt anyone else. And she had the nerve to call me selfish.   
  
I hung up without saying goodbye. I waited til I got back to the hotel to let it all out. Locking the bathroom door behind me, I stared at myself in the mirror, asking myself all kinds of questions. Was it something I did? Why is this so sudden? Why didn’t she just talk to me about it? Did I not make myself available to her? Was it the age thing? Could she not see herself getting serious with me after knowing me almost my whole life? What the hell was going on? My world did a complete 180.  
  
 **Rachael: December 13, 2014**  
  
My whole body felt numb in the days since I told Josh I needed a break. I dove into work like I had nothing else going for me, because it truthfully was all I had going for me. The media backed off when I snapped at them and told them Josh and I weren’t together anymore.   
  
I know I made a huge mistake, but I needed time to think things over. Josh was absolutely right. Leave it to him to call me out. This whole thing had nothing to do with the paparazzi or my job. I was terrified. I knew the second I saw Josh and my dad walk in from the garage at Thanksgiving and I saw the look on my dad’s face that they had 'the talk'. I should have been ecstatic, jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning, but something was holding me back from celebrating.  
  
In the days that followed Thanksgiving, I started thinking about what our future would be like. It wasn't going to be filled with playing with our kids in the backyard and spending nights on the couch watching dorky TV shows. It was going to be me, alone with our kids, waiting for their dad every night and only seeing him every once in a while when he wasn’t working.   
I would always feel this constant pressure to look perfect everywhere I went. Living in LA, that’s a given.  I’d always feel like I’d have to compete with the beautiful models and actresses Josh saw on a daily basis. And not to mention the idea of having a ring on my finger, regardless of who gave it to me, scared me to death.   
  
  
I met my dad at his house to help him hang Christmas lights in the afternoon. It’s something we’ve done ever since I was little and he could see how completely heartbroken I was as soon as I got there. He dropped the box he was carrying in the garage and wrapped his arm around me as tight as he could. He told me to let it all out and I did. I completely fell apart. Here I was, an almost 29 year old woman, crying in her daddy’s arms over a boy. I felt ridiculous.   
  
“You know that boy has loved you for as long as I can remember?”  
“Yes.” I muffled into his chest.  
“I know you’re scared honey after everything that’s happened this year, but Josh would go to the moon and back for you. He looked me right in the eye and told me himself. And a man doesn’t lie to the father of the woman he loves.”


	41. Another sun soaked season fades away

**Josh: December 17, 2014**  
  
I had just about enough of answering questions by the time my last interview took place. I’ve managed to keep it together the last couple weeks, even though I hadn’t slept much. The answers that I gave were so rehearsed, I could say them backwards, in my sleep.  
  
As the interview was wrapping up, the woman asking the questions directed one towards Jennifer and Liam about how their significant others were handling the insanity of dealing with the fans and media due to the success of the movie series. They gave their answers, then she looked at me and asked the same question. “And Josh what about your girlfriend? How is she taking all of this?”  
  
“I uh...” My mouth went dry and I felt like the room started spinning. Why did she ask personal questions? They weren’t on her list. I nervously ran my hands through my hair as I tried to think of an answer. Jen put her hand on my shoulder and answered for me. “She’s really excited about it, but it’s all pretty new to her. Right Josh?”  
  
I nodded in agreement and telepathically thanked her. The woman thanked us for being there and sent us on our way. Jen grabbed me before I went to my dressing room and pulled me aside. Studying my worn down appearance, she shook her head. “Josh you’re a mess. Call her.”  
  
“I tried. She won’t talk to me.” I spat. I hated being put on the spot like that. My cheeks started to flush.  
“She’ll give in eventually. Just keep trying. She probably feels the same way you do.”  
“Oh yeah I’m sure she’s just a wreck when she’s the one who said we needed a break. And she’s the one who hasn’t returned any of my text messages or phone calls. She’s probably ecstatic that she finally got rid of me.”  
“Come on don’t say that Josh. You two will work things out.” She said in a sympathetic voice, rubbing my arm.  
  
“Yeah. That’s what they all say.” I rolled my eyes and walked away.  
“I’m just trying to be a good friend here Josh. Give me a break.” I heard her call out.  
I wasn’t going to stand around and listen to another person tell me that everything was going to be ok. They didn’t know what I was feeling. When you spend your whole life loving someone, having that person tear your heart out of your chest really hurts. The pain is indescribable. Almost numbing.  
  
 **Rachael: December 18, 2014**  
  
I spent another night on the couch, wrapped up in Josh’s sweatshirt. The smell of him on it was comforting and helped me get to sleep. It was like he was right there with me. I missed him so much, but I couldn’t bear to answer the phone whenever he called. As hard as it was to not hear his voice, I still needed time to sort my feelings out. He was going to be home in a few days. I’d have til then to clear my head.  
  
I almost didn’t hear my phone when it rang at 2am. I managed to open my eyes to peer at the call ID and saw that it was Andre. Ugh did he forget about the 6 hour time difference between here and Rome?  
  
“Andre it’s 2 in the morning here. This better be important.” I groaned, shutting off the TV and sitting up.  
“Rach, you haven’t heard from Josh have you?” Andre sounded a little frantic.  
I stopped rubbing my eyes. “No. Why? Is everything ok?”  
  
“He didn’t come back to the room last night after we went out and he’s not answering my calls and we have to be at the airport to go to London soon.”  
“Well where is he?” I asked, with the panic starting to build in my stomach.  
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m calling you. I thought maybe he’d try calling you for the millionth time.”  
  
“He didn’t call me. Andre what happened? Where could he have gone?” I could feel a lump forming in my throat. I got off the couch and started pacing around the living room, hoping to alleviate some of the fear rushing through my body.  
  
“We went to dinner last night after his interviews wrapped up and he started drinking, like a lot of drinking. I told him not to have too much because of our morning flight but he didn’t listen to me. And after we got done eating he wanted to go to this club and when I said no, he fought with me and took off in a cab. I tried calling him all night but he wouldn’t answer.”  
  
“My god. I feel like this is my fault. Andre I don’t know what to do.” I sniffled, wiping away a few tears.  
“I didn’t mean to call and wake you up but do you think you could try calling him sweetie? I know it’s weird right now but I think he’d answer if he saw you were calling.”  
  
“Yeah, I’ll try and call you back.” I hung up and felt the butterflies in my stomach going crazy as I scrolled to his name. I sat down on the armrest of the couch and hit send. Hot flashes rushed over my body after each ring. I was praying he’d pick up. I heard a click on the other end, followed by a groggy voice.  
  
 **Josh: December 18, 2014**  
  
I felt the bed stir for a moment, which woke me up out of a dead sleep. I blinked my eyes open and peered around the room trying to get a sense of where I was. Obviously not in my hotel room. A feeling of panic washed over me. _Where am I? How did I get here? What happened last night? Maybe I was kidnapped. That’s not my jacket on the floor._  
  
When my phone started going off in my pocket, and I heard the ring tone coming from it, a rush of adrenaline soared through me. My heart started beating so fast I thought it would beat right out of my chest. It was her.  
  
 _We watch the season pull up its own stakes and catch the last weekend of the last week. Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced, another sun soaked season fades away._  
  
“Rach?” I managed to spit out. My mouth was dry and I could still taste the alcohol on my breath from the night before. I rolled over onto my back, and felt as if the contents of my stomach were going to rise into my throat in a matter of minutes.  
  
“Josh? Oh my God. Are you ok? Where are you?” I closed my eyes, picturing her, wondering what she looked like at that moment. Probably pacing around her living room, wearing something of mine.  
“Ugh.” I groaned into the phone. She sighed on the other end and I heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. _What the fuck?_  
  
“Are you alright?”  
“No. I feel like shit. I have no idea where I am and....” The bathroom door opened, revealing a brunette woman I’d never seen before. She smiled and crossed the room to pick up her jacket before walking over to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be outside.” She pointed to the door, waved and exited the room.  
  
“Josh? Are you there?” Rachael asked.  
“I miss you. I miss you everyday and I swear to God I’ve thought about you every single second since you broke things off. I’m going crazy here Rach. I need you.” My voice cracked and the tears welling up in my eyes started falling down my face. I sat up, feeling like I was going to be sick. My head was pounding and I felt like death warmed over.  
  
“I’m really sorry Josh. But I just need a little more time to think about things. I hope you understand.” She paused for a moment and I heard her take in a shaky breath. “Andre is looking for you, so you better hurry up.”  
“What is there to think about? Either you want to be with me or you don’t.” I rose my voice, holding my head in my hand.  
“Josh, please. I can’t. Don’t make me make that decision right now. It’s 2 in the morning. Can we just talk when you get home? You have to go.”  
  
“Well why the hell did you even call me if you don’t want to talk?” I was becoming agitated with the way this conversation was going, on top of that, I still felt a little drunk.  
“Because, Andre’s been trying to find you all night and he figured you’d answer if I called.”  
“So that’s it? You call because of Andre and not because you want to apologize for ripping my heart out? Do you know what kind of torture you put me through the last few weeks?”  
“Josh I really can’t do this now. Please.” She was sobbing. Great, I fucking made her cry. I’m an asshole.  
  
I sighed, hating myself for making her cry and caved in. “Fine. I guess I’ll see you in a few days. Go get some sleep.”  
“Ok. Goodnight.” She uttered and hung up.  
  
  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I felt sick. Glancing around the room, I tried to remember how the hell I got there. I had no recollection at all. And I slept with someone? I think? I slowly rolled out of bed and stood up. I was still fully clothed so I don’t think I had sex. I ran into the bathroom and hovered over the toilet for a few minutes, until everything in my stomach was gone.  
  
I stood back up and swished my mouth with mouthwash, splashed my face and went back into the room. I didn’t have any belongings with me so I left. The girl who was with me was standing in the hallway, staring at her feet.  
  
“Hi. Feeling better?” She smiled sweetly, looking up at me.  
“Hey. Sorta. Uh, I don’t know what happened last night. But I’m...”  
“Don’t worry, nothing happened, as much as I wanted it to, you were too drunk to do anything.”  
  
“Oh thank God.” I let out a sigh of relief and a nervous laugh and her jaw dropped. “I didn’t mean like that, you’re beautiful, but there’s someone else.”  
“Yeah, Rachael, I know. You wouldn’t shut up about her all night. You told me the whole story.”  
“Oh I did? Sorry. I was really fucked up.” I scratched the back of my head.  
  
She put her hand on my shoulder. “Josh I think you need to go home to her. I can tell you love her a lot. I’m actually jealous of what you two have. Don’t let her go, do you understand? You need to fight for her, until you can’t fight anymore. She’ll cave in and realize how much she loves you. Once she sees you it will be clear to her.”  
  
It was like this girl was the voice of reason I needed to hear. “Wow. Thank you for that. Really.” I smiled. “I don’t even know your name.”  
“I told you when I picked you up in the bar last night but you were already pretty drunk. I’m Danielle.” She shook my hand and I pulled her in for a hug.  
“Thank you so much Danielle. I’m gonna go get her.”


	42. Thank you girl whose name I don't know

**Josh: December 17, 2014**  
  
I needed to get away from everyone. Even Andre was starting to get to me. I needed to be alone, or at least alone in a place where no one knew me. I figured that would be easy enough in a foreign country. I slammed the door of the cab and told the driver to take me to any bar on the other side of town. As he took off, I rested my head on the headrest of the back seat and closed my eyes, listening to the music blaring on the radio.    
  
“We’re here sir.” The driver said, putting the car in park and leaning over his seat to wait for me to pay him. I climbed out of the cab and made my way into the bar, passing a few women who were outside smoking.   
  
I took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer and looked around the room to get a feel for the atmosphere. Tables of locals - mostly businessmen having a drink after work, a few young couples, several tourists who probably wanted to get away from the tourist-y Rome spots and myself - a lonely 22 year old actor who wanted nothing more than to be at home trying to make things right with his girlfriend.  
  
I sat quietly, sipping my beer, watching a young couple that couldn’t keep their hands off each other in a dark corner of the bar. They were so in love. It made me sick. I hated them and wanted to walk and smack them both for torturing me. I needed something stronger to ease my pain. I ordered a double shot of whiskey and made small talk with the bartender. I made up some story about how I was a student studying abroad. He bought it, obviously. Of course no one here knew I was.  
  
I downed my drink and ordered more. I just sat there for what must have been a couple hours, drinking glass after glass. I lost count after the sixth round. When I stood up to use the men’s room is when I felt the liquor hit me like a brick wall. The room around me started getting fuzzy and the old familiar warm feeling I got whenever I drank rushed through me. It felt good. It was the first warm feeling I had in weeks.  
  
I reclaimed my barstool after going to the bathroom and noticed a young woman was sitting next to it, sipping a glass of wine.   
“What’s up?” I nodded to her and tapped my hand on the bar for another drink.  
“Hey. Aren’t you Josh Hutcherson?” She was intrigued and set her glass down and spun to face me.  
“Guilty.” I smiled and bit my bottom lip.  
“Huh.” She took another sip. “What are you doing here, all alone?”  
“Had to get away for a while.” I downed my drink and ordered two shots of tequila, sliding one shot glass to her.  
“Thanks.” She politely smiled and took the glass, cheers-ing me before she downed it.   
  
What felt like hours later, I’m not sure how many drinks she and I shared, and I’m pretty sure I was toasted. I’m not sure why kind of information I shared with her. I was just looking to talk to someone who wouldn’t judge me.  
  
“You know what else really pisses me off about her?” I said, in the middle of my mile long list of reasons to hate Rachael.   
“I don’t know, what? She doesn’t fold her socks the right way?” The girl rolled her eyes, becoming annoyed with me talking about Rachael, but I went on.  
  
“Actually, yeah, it’s really weird. She like rolls them all the way so they’re balled up. But no...shit what the fuck was I saying? I don’t even fucking know right now dude.” I laughed, touching my forehead, trying to get a hold of myself before I remembered what I was thinking before. “Oh! She can’t drive a stick shift. What is that? Everyone in the world can drive my stick. Can you drive my stick?” I slurred, pointing at her.  
  
“Yeah.” She laughed. “I’m sure I could drive your stick Josh.”  
“She almost wrecked my fucking car. I wanted to kill her.” I clenched my fists and pounded them on the bar in a fit of rage.  
  
“Josh can I ask you something?” She put her hand on my arm.  
“Yo. Shoot.”   
“You listed every little thing to hate about that girl. What do you love about her?”  
I stopped fidgeting and sunk down in my seat. “Everything. I love everything about her fucking dammit.” I was getting emotional and my drinking partner was getting fed up with me whining all night. “I can’t explain how I feel about her. She makes me feel whole. I’m nothing without her.” I let my head fall onto the bar top. “A waste of air. It’s like - I can’t sleep, I can barely eat. All I want to do is go home. She won’t answer me. Why?” I started crying and she put her hand on my back.   
  
“I don’t know why Josh. She’s an idiot if she doesn’t realize how much you love her.”  
I picked my head up and hugged her. “Thank you girl whose name I don’t know. I love you so hard right now. I don’t mean hard. I’m not hard. I couldn’t get hard right now if I tried. Oh Jesus Christ.” I laughed to myself.  
  
“What?” She laughed, picking my head up. “Oh honey you’re a mess. Where are you staying? I’ll get you a cab.” She said, standing up from the stool.  
“Fuck no I ain’t going back there. I’ll stay here and get another drink.”  
“No. I’m afraid you can’t stay here. Come with me, you can stay in my room tonight.”


	43. Happy New Year baby, this is gonna be a good one

**Josh: December 31, 2014**  
  
“Ugh I really don’t want to go to this thing.” Rachael huffed as she slipped on her shoes. “I’d rather stay right here and watch Ryan Seacrest. I hate getting dressed up.” She whined, adjusting her dress in the mirror. We were going to her work’s New Year’s party, she kept saying how she was having a ‘bad hair day’ and wasn’t happy with the dress she had on, but I thought she was stunning, as usual.   
  
I think she was nervous because this was the first time she was bringing me to something work related and wasn’t sure how her coworkers were going to react. Since Christmas, we had spent almost every waking minute together, mostly staying at her house, like we had been doing a couple months before. I gave the ring to Connor to keep an eye on until the right time so that Rachael wouldn’t know that I already bought it. I completely refrained from mentioning anything about proposing or moving to LA. We decided nice and slow was going to be the key.   
  
“Will you stop? You look too good not to go anywhere now.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her into me and gave her a kiss. “It will be fun. And we get to dance.” I spun her around before pulling her to me again. “When’s the last time you and I danced together, huh?”  
  
She tapped her chin, thinking about it. “Hmmm, Christina and Jake’s wedding, I think.”  
  
 _“Excuse me is your dance card full?” I tapped her shoulder after I stood there for a while trying to work up the courage to ask her to dance. She turned around and smiled when she saw my outstretched hand. “Not that I know of, mister big time movie star. Let’s go.” She took my hand and I lead her to the dimly lit dance floor._  
  
 _I felt like we were the only two in the room with her in my arms. Sure she had a new boyfriend, and I knew I’d never have a chance in hell with her, but I’d always hang onto the feeling I felt when I had my arms around her, the way her neck still smelled like the honeysuckle perfume she sprayed on it earlier that morning and the way her eyes lit up when she laughed at something stupid I said._  
  
 _“They’re cute.” She laughed, watching Christina and Jake dance with each other. I wrapped my arm around my waist and I couldn’t help but get butterflies every time she shifted when my fingers danced along the fabric of her dress. She put her head on my shoulder and I closed my eyes as we swayed to the music of Lady Antebellum. I felt like I had the whole world in my hands and I never wanted to let her go._  
  
We arrived at Weidmann Mansion an hour later and Rachael’s nerves were shot. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine.” I grabbed her hand and tucked it around my arm as we walked up the stairs to the entrance.   
“I told them not to freak out when they saw you.”  
“They won’t. Let’s just have a good time tonight.”   
  
We walked in and I felt some eyes on us as we checked our coats, but it was nothing. She didn’t let go of my hand as we checked in and made our way into the dining room. We were greeted by her boss and her husband at the bar. As Rachael was ordering her drink, her boss leaned in to me as she was walking away and said, “You’re a lucky guy, she’s crazy about you.”  
“Thank you, I’m very lucky.” I smiled and walked up behind Rachael and wrapped my arms around her waist. I definitely was the luckiest man in the world.   
  
I made small talk after dinner with the people at our table while Rachael took a call in another room. I noticed that she was gone for a while so I excused myself from the table to go find her. I wandered into the hallway then went outside on the huge wrap around porch but didn’t find her at all. I was walking back in and the coat room attendant pointed to the library. I thanked him and walked into the large, darkened room that was only lit by the fireplace. She was leaning up against a window, finishing a conversation with one of her vendors, tapping her foot on the ground and I knew she was agitated.   
  
“It’s New Years Eve. You have got to be kidding me right now. Don’t even tell me your printer broke, they need this at 5 tomorrow. I don’t care that it’s a holiday. Get it done.” She paused, letting the other person speak and looked at me, rolling her eyes. “Yeah ok, well when I get back on Monday, you can bet your ass I’ll be looking for someone else to do business with.”   
  
She paused again, and started pacing around the floor as the other person spoke. I didn’t want to see her stressed out over something probably so miniscule. She was about to say something else, but I grabbed her phone from her and hung up on the person. Her jaw fell to the floor as I set the phone on the mantle of the fireplace.   
  
“Josh...” She began.  
“It’s not important.” I cut her off.  
“But Josh I have a client that needs...”  
“I said.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her in close to me and kissed the side of her head. “It’s not important.”  
“But Josh.”  
“Shut up and dance with me.” I whispered as Turn Me On by Norah Jones began playing in the ballroom. I brought our linked hands up to my chest and wrapped my other hand around her waist. She rested her head on my shoulder and I felt her chest rise and fall as she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s alright.” My thumb glided along the top of her hand. “I don’t want to see you stressed out, ok?”  
“I know you don’t. I can’t help it. Just these people I have to deal with are idiots.”  
“I knew you didn’t like your job.”  
“I mean, it’s ok, but I’m just tired of everything.”  
“Mmmm, sounds like you need to get away then.”  
She picked her head up and smiled at me. “Yes, I do!”  
“Like.....a week in California maybe, so your boyfriend can show you how awesome LA is?”  
She chuckled and kissed me before resting her head on my shoulder. “Yes, that’s exactly what I need.”  
  
I held her even tighter and kissed her bare shoulder. “I love you.” I moved up to her neck and kissed her again. “I love you so much.” I kissed her neck again, this time longer and heard her moan. I picked her chin up and kissed her lips softly at first, then with more pressure and we stopped dancing as she wrapped her arms around my neck to bring me closer. Her tongue glided across my lips then into my mouth as I pushed her further into the room and stopped when we got to a bookshelf.   
  
She started loosening my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. I grabbed her hand to stop her. “We can’t right here.”  
“Yes we can, I thought you were adventurous.” She smiled seductively at me and pulled me by the shirt deeper into the library, we could barely see anything and fell over the back of a leather couch. “Ouch!” She laughed with her mouth still on mine. She worked at my shirt as I grinded against her and lifted her dress up over her waist.   
  
“Touch me Josh.” She whispered, running her hands over my chest. My mouth found her neck, as my hands crept up her thighs and over her panties. She was wet. It must have been the champagne mixed with the frustration of work and the fireplace in the room.   
  
We had slept together since we made up, but nothing like this. It was hot. Knowing we could be caught at any minute, being in an huge room full of books and old furniture. It really got my going. I couldn’t wait any longer. I quickly undid my pants and pushed them down to my knees and parted her legs, pushing her panties to the side before sliding into her, letting out a hiss as I felt her tighten up around me.  
  
She threw her head back onto the couch and held a pillow over her head to muffle her cries. “Oh God yes!” I heard her scream as I drove deeper into her, trying to go as fast as I could in case anyone walked in on us. I took the pillow off her face and crashed my mouth onto hers, feeling the gentle vibrations of her moan against my lips.   
  
She reached around and dug her hands into my butt cheeks, making me thrust even deeper into her. “Don’t stop.” She panted and took one of my fingers and put it into her mouth and started sucking on the tip. I looked over the back of the couch to see if anyone was coming and kept up my pace. I felt her walls clench around me as her orgasm hit her, grabbing me and holding onto me for dear life. A few more thrusts and I came too, filling her up, panting for breath, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.   
  
I collapsed on top of her and we laid there for a while, just listening to each others breathing and the sound of the music in the next room. Then I heard the crowd countdown to Midnight, 10, 9, 8... I kissed her forehead and brushed some hair away from her eyes and held her close.  “You have no idea how happy you make me.” She whispered. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year! And then the crowd was hollering and cheering as the DJ played Auld Lang Syne.   
  
“Same here.” I smiled. “Do I get a Midnight kiss?”   
“Well, I don’t know, you totally just took advantage of me at a work function, I mean how dare you Josh? I am appalled.” She playfully slapped my chest.  
“Get over here, damn you.” I grumbled and kissed her. “Happy New Year baby, this is gonna be a good one.”  
“I think so too.”


	44. You're just an added bonus

**Rachael: January 25, 2015**  
  
  
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s our pleasure to welcome you to Los Angeles International Airport where the local time is 12:35pm and the temperature is 78 degrees. Please remain in your seats until the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign.’  
  
“Finally.” I sighed to myself, collecting my belongings from under the seat in front of me. I sent Andre a text to let him know we landed and followed the other passengers off the plane. I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes out of habit as I walked through the terminal. I noticed a group of four 15-17 year old girls walking next to me and I could hear them whispering, “Do you think that’s her? Oh my God go say something! No, don’t bother her.” I smiled politely at them when I saw they were staring at me.  
  
“Hey, aren’t you Josh Hutcherson’s girlfriend?” One of them asked, making me slow my pace.  
“Yeah, I am.” I expected them to call me a bitch or a gold digger or something awful.  
“Oh. You guys are really cute together.”  
I was taken aback. I hadn’t met a nice fan before. “Thank you so much.”  
“Are you visiting him? Can you tell him we said hi and to tweet one of these days? We miss him!”  
I laughed and continued walking. “Yeah, I’ll give him the message. Nice to meet you girls.”  
  
I leaped into Andre’s arms when I saw him at baggage claim. It had been so long. “Girl someone’s gonna mistake you for a model you better watch yourself.” He exclaimed, putting me down.  
“Don’t even go there. There’s my bag!” I pointed to my suitcase and heard someone say “Bye Rachael!” from behind me. It was one of the girls by the gate. I waved politely and turned around to see Andre laughing.   
“Fans of yours?”  
“Yeah, something like that.” I huffed and followed him to the car.  
  
  
I closed my eyes tight behind my sunglasses when we were pulling into Josh’s driveway and imagined myself living at his house with him. Could I leave everything I knew in Kentucky behind for this? What will it be like being in Josh’s world? How different would our relationship be once I’m out here for good? Apprehension snuck up on me and Andre could sense that I was starting to tense up.  
  
He put his hand over mine and lifted his sunglasses as he put the car in park. “Are you ok sweetie?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just trying to picture myself living here. Wondering if I’ll fit into Josh’s LA lifestyle.”  
“Honey, I can’t think of anyone else who would fit in better. Just try to embrace it. I think Josh needs you here more than he would like to admit. You’re the person who can keep him grounded when all of this is too much for him. It would be good for both of you, because you need him too. I can see it in your face.”  
  
Andre was right. I had nothing going for me in Kentucky anymore. I needed Josh more than I realized. He was the only guy who could still give me butterflies at just the thought of him after 19 years of knowing each other. He knew me inside and out. What made me laugh, what made me cry, how to push my buttons and make up for it after he pushed too far. My world lit up whenever I was with him and I wanted that feeling every day.  
  
“You’re right. I’ll keep an open mind and let LA grow on me.” I smiled, opening the car door.  
“That’s my girl!” He squeaked, getting out of the car. “Oh and by the way, don’t let Josh think he’s going to keep you all to himself this week. Just because you two are head over heels for each other doesn’t mean you’re not coming out one night with me.”  
“Oh you can count me in for sure!” I got out and slung my carry on bag over my shoulder before following Andre up the steps to Josh’s house.  
  
Josh was pacing around the kitchen on the phone when Andre and I walked inside. He waved to Andre and handed him a packet of papers and gave me a quick kiss as he kept talking to whomever was on the phone. I let him continue and let myself out to the back porch to see Driver.   
  
He was basking in the sun, but when he heard my footsteps, his ears perked up and he jumped up and his tail started going crazy. I knelt down to scratch behind his ears and let him lick my face. “Hey buddy! I missed you!” He pranced over to his ball and dropped it in front of me so I could throw it.   
  
Hovering over the balcony, I watched him run down the steps to the yard below as he chased after his ball. I took a deep breath, inhaling the warm California air and closed my eyes, letting the sun warm my face. I could picture myself here. Of course there’s a lot I’d have to do first - sell my house, get rid of a lot of furniture, find a new job, actually make the excruciating long road trip from Kentucky to California. And what would Michelle and Chris say? Or my dad?   
  
My train of thought was broken when I felt arms slink around my waist and felt myself being pulled down onto someone’s lap on one of the lounge chairs. “Hey you. Where have you been all my life?” Josh muttered into my ear, planting kisses all over my cheek and neck, making me giggle at the feeling of his stubble against my skin. I tried getting up, but he held me tight. “Uh, where do you think you’re going?” His hand drifted down to my waist, under the hem of my shirt where he started tickling me.   
  
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Stop! Please Josh!!” I yelled out in a fit of laughter.   
“I don’t think so. Not til I get a kiss.” His tickling slowed down as his other hand tilted my face towards his. I studied his eyes as they changed from the color of honey to a deep green, the way they do when he really wants something bad. He leaned in and planted his lips on mine, lingering for a moment and making my body heat surge. “What were you thinking about out here all by yourself?” He murmured as he pulled away.  
  
“Us.” I replied, resting my head in the crook of his neck.  
“Oh yeah?” He chuckled.  
I smiled and kissed him and watched the way his cheeks flushed a little after I kissed him. I wasn’t going to say anything about moving to LA just yet. “Uh-huh. I think I kind of like you.”  
He chuckled and held me tighter. “Yeah, I guess I could put up with you for a while.”  
“Oh thanks a lot.” I huffed, making him laugh again before he kissed the side of my head.   
  
“Alright, you have to let me up. I have to go meet with a director in soon.”   
“Oh.” I scooted off the chair and watched him adjust his flannel shirt as he stood up. Underneath was a plain white v-neck, which I loved on him. I stared at him for a moment and thought about the last time I saw him in that same exact flannel shirt. It was a little after Sam left me. That was the first time I realized my feelings for Josh were deeper than just friendship.  
  
I stepped back to observe his appearance. “You look good, Hutcherson. Last time I saw you, you were a blonde. I like this look.” I ruffled up the hair on his head and patted his chest. “Ugh, but what are we, in Canada? Are you planning on chopping down some trees your backyard, lumberjack Josh?” I tugged at his flannel shirt.  
  
“I knew you’d say something. Always judging me, Rach.” He shook his head and like in a scene from Magic Mike, he stripped off the shirt, revealing a muscle hugging white v-neck underneath. Why am I staring? This is so wrong!  
  
“What are you meeting about? A movie?”  
“No Rachael, I’m going to meet with a director so he can give me his wife’s recipe for brownies. What do you think?” He teased.  
“Shut up.” I laughed, giving him a gentle shove.   
“He wants me to executive produce on a little something he’s doing but I have to see what it’s about first so I can decide if I want to do it or not.”  
“That’s exciting baby!”   
“Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. I shouldn’t be gone too long, and when I get back we’re taking a little ride.” He said, pinching my cheek.  
“Really? Where to?”  
“Not telling.” He shook his head and crossed the porch the the sliding glass door.  
“You suck, Joshua. Do I need to change or anything?” I asked, pulling on my dark blue long sleeve shirt.  
“No.” He said, looking me up and down with a smirk. “You look beautiful the way you are.”   
  
  
**Josh: January 25, 2015**  
  
I was excited driving back home after my meeting to pick Rachael and Driver up. I couldn’t wait to tell her about the film I’d be working on the next few months. Since I planned on being in LA for a while, I figured maybe this was a good time to see if Rachael had been thinking about moving out to LA with me. I knew how excited she was about just visiting for the week and I was hoping this trip would make her see how comfortable she could be here.  
  
I made a pit stop on my way to the house and called her when I got into my driveway and told her to grab Driver and his leash and meet me downstairs. They both came prancing down the steps a matter of minutes later, both excited to be going somewhere. Driver wouldn’t stop jumping up and down when he saw me waiting in the Jeep.  
  
Rachael got him settled in the back seat before taking her spot in the passenger seat. “So how did it go?” She asked, buckling her seatbelt, then giving me a kiss on the cheek.   
“Good. I’m gonna do it. So it looks like I’ll be here for the next few months. I won’t be able to get home to Kentucky or anything.”   
“Oh.” A smile spread across her lips as she looked out the window. Her leg started tapping on the floor of the Jeep.   
“Are you nervous about something over there?” I glanced at her quickly before putting my eyes back on the road.  
“No.” She realized her leg was going crazy and shuffled in her seat. “I’m just excited about wherever we’re going.”   
  
“Well, good. Because I have a surprise for you.” I smirked and focused on the road ahead.   
“Oh God I hate you and your surprises. You always get me Hutcherson.” She said, grabbing my hand.  
“Yeah because you deserve it, Wallace.”  
  
I drove us around downtown LA first, pointing out all the buildings and points of interest I knew. Then we made our way to Beverly Hills and rode through the streets, passing through the famous Rodeo Drive, which was full of limos and other fancy cars, wealthy shoppers and tourists - Rachael’s favorite type of human being. She got a kick out of seeing them wander around with their cameras strapped around their necks, trying to find their way around, taking photos of people they thought were celebrities.  
  
“Oh my God turn this up!” She gasped, pointing to the radio as Tiny Dancer began.   
“Blue jean baby, LA lady. Seamstress for the band.” I sang. “You remember the lyrics?”  
“Of course I do. My mom sang it all the time, remember?” She said with a soft smile. I nodded and grabbed her hand as she turned to the window and sang along with Elton John.   
  
“Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand. And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand.” She squeezed my hand tighter and looked at me before wiping her eyes under her sunglasses. I didn’t say anything. I knew this song always made her cry because it reminded her of her mom. So I just brought her hand up to my lips and she smiled wide, still singing along.  
  
  
We ended up on Route 1 and drove up the coast past Santa Monica and Malibu and ended up at El Matador State Beach.   
“I remember it here!” Rachael exclaimed as I pulled into the parking lot.   
“Yeah I figured you would. Grab Driver, will you?” I said, getting out of the Jeep and grabbing the bag of food I bought along with a blanket and a few beers for us.   
  
Rachael and Driver walked around back to see what I was doing. “Going on a picnic?” She asked when she saw what I was carrying.  
“Yeah. Is that ok with you? I got Chinese.”  
“Oooh yum! I love it!” She smiled and took the blanket in her free hand.   
  
We walked down the steps with Driver pulling us along and gave him a few minutes to splash around in the water before spreading out the blanket on the sand. There was a family down on the other end of the beach, but other than that, we were alone.   
  
“So Joshua.” Rachael said with a mouth full of rice.  
“So Rachael.” I responded, watching her tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.  
“I think I kind of like it out here.”  
“Oh yeah?” I smiled and took a sip of beer.  
“Yeah. I could see us doing this every week. Taking Driver and Cato and having Chinese food on the beach.” She looked out at the ocean, then to the family who was walking in our direction, then back at me.  
“I’d like that. But I don’t know about Chinese food every week. We’d have to change it up a little.” I laughed.   
“Oh of course.” She nodded, taking another bite.  
“So what does that mean then, you want to move in with me?”  
“Yeah I think I do. I’ve been thinking about it and it makes sense. I mean It won’t be for a while because I have to sell my house and find a new job and stuff but,” she grabbed my chin, “if it means I can see this precious face every day, it’s totally worth it.”   
  
I couldn’t help but groan at how adorable she was to me in that moment. I grabbed her arm and pulled her down with me as I laid on my back. “Josh! I’m not done eating!” She protested.   
“I don’t care. You are incredible, you know that?” I pulled her face down to meet mine and kissed her.   
“Stop no I’m not.”  
“No you are. You’re going to move across the country for me?”  
“No I’m moving for Driver.” She sat up and pet him on the head. “You’re just an added bonus.”


	45. Go get your ass in the tent....now

**Rachael: January 28, 2015:**  
  
"And when she walked in the kitchen and opened the fridge, there was the neighbor's head that had been severed off its body! And she let out a bloodcurdling scream when the eyes of the head opened and said 'you're next.'"  
  
"Wow. I don't remember a time before you started telling that awful story, Avan."  
"Come on Rach you know you were scared. I saw your face."  
I rolled my eyes and threw my s'mores stick into the fire. "I think its time to turn in. We have a long hike back tomorrow."  
"Oh you need to cuddle up next to Josh so he can protect you from the boogie man?" Avan teased.  
  
"Oh my God Avan you're seriously 12 years old." I chuckled.  
"No, I'm 8 actually." He retorted.  
I shook my head and got up from the chair I was sitting in."I'm going to the bathroom." I said, walking past the boys.  
"Watch out for bears!" Avan hollered and I threw him the finger as I walked away.  I found an outhouse not far from the campsite and on the way back, I noticed it was way too quiet and saw that no one was still sitting out by the fire.  
  
I heard a rustling in the bushes followed by a couple snickers. "Ok assholes, you can come out now." I walked a few more steps and screamed bloody murder when a hand reached out and grabbed my leg. "Jesus Christ!" I yelled, and Avan and Josh came crawling out, laughing.  
  
"I hate you both." I yelled, shoving them. Josh grabbed my hand apologetically.  
"Baby I'm sorry. It was a joke. Come here.”  
"It was all Josh’s idea Rachael. I had no part in this, but we got you so good!" Avan laughed, making his way to his tent, leaving Josh and I alone.   
"Well, I know someone who isn’t getting laid tonight.” I said, turning towards the campsite.  
"Ouch." He put his hand over his heart. "You really know how to hit a guy where it hurts." He grabbed me again and pulled me in close and ran his fingers through my messy hair. "What can I do to make it up to you, huh?"  
  
"Oh no. That romantic stuff won’t work on me. But you can make me another s'mores."  
“Alright, I’ll make you another one. And you, get your ass in the tent...now.” Josh smiled devilishly and darted towards the fire. I smirked at him and licked my lips in desire, watching the glow of the fire dance across his face and the way his shirt rose up over his lower back when he knelt down. Shit, how did I get so lucky?   
  
I walked past him and ran my fingers over the back of his neck, making him shiver. He placed a marshmallow on the stick and looked back at me before sticking it into the fire. “You better be naked in like 2 minutes when I come in there.”   
  
I crawled into the tent and removed my shorts first and poked my head out of the tent. “So demanding, Joshua.” I smirked and threw my shorts at him before removing the rest of my clothes and laid in the sleeping bag. He unzipped the front of the tent and crawled in a few minutes later. He handed me the s’more and closed the front of the tent.   
  
“Don’t eat that just yet.” He said, stripping down to nothing.  
“Ok. You didn’t make one for yourself?” I asked, licking some of the marshmallow off my finger.  
“No. I can think of something that tastes better than that.” He smiled.  
“Oh yeah?” I giggled as he unzipped the sleeping bag and straddled my hips. “What’s that?”  
  
He smiled and leaned in to kiss my lips. “I think you know.”   
His fingers left goosebumps behind as they trailed over my chest, then down to my abdomen. Then his lips repeated the same path and the sensation between my legs with him on top of me was so burning hot that I started rocking my hips against his.   
  
"Ah, ah, ah. Not yet. You have to wait for that."  
"Please Josh. You're killing me." I begged, needing to feel any part of him inside of me.  
He chuckled and grabbed the s’more from me and stuck his finger into the warm center and pulled it out covered in chocolate and marshmallow. He then put his finger into my mouth so I could get a taste of the sweetness.   
  
"Good?" He asked. I nodded and he smiled again. "It will taste even better down here." He swiped his finger over the marshmallow and chocolate concoction again before dipping in between my folds. I jumped at the warm sensation of the sticky substance combined with his cold fingers.  
  
"Oh my god." I gasped, trying to rock my hips against his finger.   
"Rachael, you have to be patient." He warned and put his finger in his mouth, sucking on whatever was left over. "Mmm, so sweet. And you’re so incredibly wet. What have I done to you baby?"  
  
He leaned down to kiss my lips again before making his way down my chest and to my stomach before parting my legs, placing one on each of his shoulders. He closed his eyes and placed a kiss on my swollen nub then held my folds open as his tongue lapped up the remnants from the gooey dessert. I breathed deep, trying so hard not to moan and wake up the others who were sleeping around us.  
  
His tongue explored my center and he hummed as he buried his face deeper into me. His tongue moved to my clit, circling it with just the right amount of pressure. He knew exactly what I liked, all the right ways to touch and kiss me to make me feel like I could just float away. My wave was approaching hard and fast.  
  
"Holy shit you taste good." He breathed before sticking two digits into me, rubbing them over my walls. His tongue went back to my sensitive button and continued its assault and I covered my mouth trying to suppress the sounds of my heaving breaths.  
  
"Oh my god please don't stop. You're gonna make me come so hard." His fingers pumped in and out of me faster and faster. My legs wrapped around his neck and my toes began to curl. Then he moaned, just once, and the vibration of it was enough to send me over the edge. I grasped and tugged on his hair as I was sent into a state of euphoria. He continued curling his fingers around my insides as I came back down from the high he put upon me.  
  
When he was satisfied with his work, he placed one more kiss in between my legs before crawling up to meet my lips, letting me taste myself. “Holy shit Josh.” I panted. “That was incredible.”  
  
“So, am I forgiven for scaring you?” He asked, rolling off me and nuzzling his face into my neck.   
“Oh most definitely.” I turned on my side to face him as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. I traced my hand up and down his side then slipped it down to the space in between us and grabbed his firm cock in my hand and rubbed its length. His eyes fluttered closed as I worked him. "Lay on your back." I instructed. We shuffled our bodies so I was now on top of him.   
  
I scooted myself lower and grabbed him firmly before taking all of him in my mouth.   
"Oh fuck." He whimpered with my tongue swirling over and around the tip as if I were sucking on a lollipop, but this was much sweeter.  
  
He thrust his hips up and fisted his hands through my hair and held on tight as I bobbed my head along his length. "Holy shit Rachael don't fucking stop." He cried out, not even caring if anyone heard. "Yeah all the way down, just like that."   
  
I rubbed up and down the bottom of his shaft and felt him throb against my tongue as I licked what was beginning to come out of the tip. "Oh shit, oh shit, holy fuck!" He put the pillow over his mouth and groaned into it as his warm fluid hit the back of my throat in a few quick spurts.  
  
He removed the pillow after a few seconds and reached for me. "Come here." I climbed on top of him and laid my head on his chest and listened to his heart beat. His fingers combed through my hair and I zipped up the sleeping bag around us.  
"I love you so much." He said just before falling asleep.  
"I love you too Josh."


	46. Every single room of this big empty house

**Rachael: March 13, 2015**  
  
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I’m doing this! I can’t believe I’m doing this!” I repeated, jumping up and down in the passenger seat as Molly and I passed the ‘Welcome to California’ sign.  
“Calm down! Do I need to get a paper bag for you to breathe into? You better not be second guessing this. We’ve driven too far to turn back now.”  
  
“‘I’m not, trust me! I’m just really nervous and excited at the same time!” I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and leaned my head against the window, watching the moving truck tag along behind us. “You know what I was thinking about while I was driving before we stopped for lunch?”  
  
“What?” She asked, looking over at me.  
“This time last year, I thought I was going to be alone forever. Josh was with ‘she-who-shall-not-be-named’ and I just figured I’d spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if the timing was right between us.”  
“Yeah, you were a wreck after Sam. I didn’t think you would ever get out of your funk. But I knew something went down between you and Josh when you came back from visiting him out here, after you guys kissed the first time, you were like a whole new person.”  
  
I bit my bottom lip and stared back out the window and thought about the first time Josh and I had that moment in his living room, the first time he couldn’t hold back any longer and made his move.  
  
 _Josh poked my stomach in an effort to tickle me after I called him Joshy._  
 _“I hate when you call me that.” He breathed as he knelt down next to the couch._  
 _“I know, that’s why I did it.” I scrunched my nose at him and closed my eyes again. His scent grew stronger as he inched close to my face. I felt a tingle in the pit of my stomach, but it was a good one. We were mere centimeters from each other, then he whispered my name and I was a goner._  
  
 _“Rachael...” I opened my eyes just as he pressed his lips onto mine. Every hair on my body stood on end and my temperature skyrocketed from a normal 98.6 to a 120. He parted after only a second to study my reaction. I was in complete shock that he actually did it while I was awake this time. I didn’t know how to respond so I just laid still._  
 _“Shit I’m a fucking moron. I don’t know why I just did that. I’m really sorry, Rach.” He blushed and held his head in his hands._  
  
 _“Really? I’m not.” I smiled and tugged at the front of his shirt and pulled him in towards me, pressing my lips onto his at full force._  
  
“That seems like a century and a half ago.” I laughed. “I never thought we’d ever be here - buying a house together? It’s crazy how things just fit into place.”  
“And soon enough....” She started humming Here Comes the Bride with a huge smile on her face.  
“Shut up.” I smirked, looking down at my hand. “That’s not gonna happen anytime soon, trust me. We talked about it. We’re waiting.”  
“Yeah, we’ll see.” She scoffed.  
  
  
We pulled into the driveway of the house Josh and I bought 3 and ½ hours later and even though I was exhausted from being in the car the last 2 days, a surge of energy rushed through me when I saw one moving truck already in the driveway.   
  
We each grabbed a few things from the car and made our way in the house. “Wow, Rach, this is huge!” Molly said, putting down the bags she was carrying.   
“Yeah, a lot different than my tiny 2 bedroom back home. It will take some getting used to.”  
“I love it! It’s so you and Josh. But ouch, my eyes. The walls are so....blah.” She noted the crisp white living room.  
“Yeah, I thought that too when I saw it the first time. Nothing a little paint can’t fix.” I laughed. “Hello?” I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty house.  
  
“We’re in here Rach!” Michelle called back from the kitchen. She and Amanda were putting glasses and plates away when I walked in. “Hey! How was the trip sweetie?” Michelle asked, wrapping her arms around me.  
“It was really long. Really really long.”  
“Yeah I know it is. We used to make that trip a lot when Josh was younger.”   
“Speaking of which, where is he? Aren’t the movers coming soon?” I asked, looking around. Molly was still in awe at the huge kitchen.  
  
“He and the boys have been out back for the last hour trying to set up the grill. There’s three grown men out there, you think they’d have it figured out by now.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.   
“I’ll go see if they need a hand. Let me know if the movers come.”   
  
I went outside, taking Cato with me, and found Connor, Chris and Josh all scratching their heads trying to figure out why they couldn’t get the grill to work. They all looked exhausted. “Hi boys.” I greeted and received a lackluster “Hi Rach” from all 3.  
  
“Need help?” I asked.  
“No, babe. I don’t think there’s anything we can do, I’ll have to call someone to fix it.”  
“Do you have propane in the tank?”  
Josh chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, there’s propane, that’s like the first thing we did. You picked up a new tank this morning, right Dad?”  
“No, I thought you did.” Chris said, then laughed to himself when he realized that was the missing piece to the puzzle.  
  
“Well, we know who has the brains in this relationship.” Josh smirked and winked at me.  
“Yeah, because it takes a rocket scientist to figure out you need propane in the tank to get a grill to work.” I said, tapping on Josh’s head.  
  
“Guys, the movers just got here!” Michelle shouted out the kitchen window. Chris and Connor started walking inside, looking defeated, and I started to follow them but Josh grabbed my hand to stop me. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”  
“To show the movers where to put everything.” I replied.  
“I don’t think so.” He spun me around so my back was to his chest and walked me to the edge of the balcony that overlooked the backyard. His lips met my bare shoulder, followed by my neck, then my earlobe.  
“Josh!” I protested, trying to wiggle from his grip, but he only held onto me tighter.  
“I’m so glad you’re here with me now. I want to come out here every day and hold you just like this.” He said against my ear before kissing my neck again.   
  
“Hey lovebirds, they opened the truck and don’t know where to start.” Connor yelled through the window. Josh released me from his arms as he let out a sigh. “As soon as everything is moved in, I’m kicking everyone out so I can have you to myself.”  
  
  
 **Josh: March 13, 2015**  
  
It seemed like everyone stayed to help us unpack way longer than I wanted them to. I was exhausted, Rachael was exhausted, even the dogs were wiped out. It was close to 1am when Rachael hugged everyone goodnight and went upstairs to our bedroom to get a little more unpacking done before going to bed.  My parents lingered in foyer, chatting about everything under the sun for what seemed like forever before I actually had to kick them out.   
  
“Are they gone?” Rachael shouted from our bedroom.   
“Yeah, thank god!” I groaned, rubbing my eyes. I love my family but there’s only so much you can take. I set the security alarm and went into the living room to shut off the light and Rachael padded in and started rifling through one of the unpacked boxes and was wearing nothing but one of my button down shirts and a pair of her underwear. “Shit.” I muttered to myself.  
  
“What?” She asked, standing up and turning to face me. I stared at her for a minute, looking her up and down. She tugged at my shirt and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t find my pajamas and you said this was old.” I didn’t say anything, I just stepped closer to her. “What?” She asked again with a smirk on her face.   
“Nothing, you look good when you wear my clothes.”  
  
 _"So who got the duty of changing me?" She asked, pulling at the Cincinnati Reds shirt she was wearing._  
  
 _I smiled thinking about the way she looked in her bra and panties when I had to take her dress off. "Well, you threw up in the driveway when we got to my house. So there's dried Chalupa all over down there that I need to hose off later. And you got a little on your dress and I wasn't about to let you sleep in my bed with puke on your clothes, so I had to change you myself because Andre was already out cold."_  
  
 _The toaster dinged and I took it out and spread butter on it. "And you fought with me the whole time because you said you could do it yourself, but you only were able to take one shoe off so I had to do the rest."_  
  
Rachael rolled her eyes and smiled wide. She was so adorable and sexy at the same time. I just had to have her, so I walked up to her and lifted her up in my arms, sliding my hands over her butt.  Her arms and legs wrapped around me and our lips furiously found each other. I carried her to the cushions for the couch that were still laying on the floor and she fell back and smiled up at me while I knelt over her and began unbuttoning her shirt.   
  
“Alone at last in this big empty house.” She said, looking around the living room while I tackled the last couple buttons and pushed the shirt open.  
“Mmmhmmm. Finally.” I whispered, leaning down to kiss her neck. Her fingers fisted through my hair and she tugged at the strands in the back while I took her one of her breasts in my mouth. “And I plan on fucking you in every single room of this big empty house.” I lifted my head and watched her eyebrows rise.  
“Oh really?”  
“Oh yeah. Every. Single. Room.” I kissed her lips. “The kitchen - on the counter, both bathrooms,” I moved to her neck. “all three bedrooms, on the dining room table, in the pool.”  
She started moaning as I grinded myself against her. “Uh-huh...”  
I latched my mouth onto her breast again. “The garage, the basement and the living room obviously.”   
  
Her hips started bucking against mine. “Oh my God Josh.” She hummed, running her fingers up and down my back. I sat up and pushed her panties to her feet and threw them to the side.   
“Turn over.” I demanded, standing up to strip out of my clothes. Rachael sat up and flipped over so she was on all fours and looked back at me over her shoulder with a sly grin.   
  
I took my cock in my hand and began stroking it as I knelt down behind her and kissed the top of her back and placing my free hand on her hip to pull her close to me. I guided myself into her smooth slick entrance, the both of us moaning in satisfaction. I pulled out then drove into her again, this time harder, causing her to groan. I smiled, biting my lip as I watched her cheeks flush and picked up my pace, holding onto her hips.   
  
I leaned down and kissed her back again, then pushed myself up so I could taste her lips. My hand circled her left cheek before delivering a hard smack, making Rachael gasp, then smile at the painful pleasure I inflicted upon her. “Again.” She cried out, and I did. On the other cheek, I smacked it just as hard if not harder, leaving my handprint behind. I felt her tighten up around my dick when my hand made contact with her skin and it made me want to do it several more times.   
  
She pressed her face into the cushion, sticking her bottom half higher in the air, allowing me to go deeper and deeper. Her hips rocked back and forth along my shaft, and I knew I’d be coming within a matter of seconds. Rachael picked her head back up so she could move faster and when she reached between her legs and started rubbing her clit, I lost it and exploded into her. I kept pumping until her own wave had crashed before collapsing at her side.  
  
 **Rachael: March 13, 2015**  
  
“Wow, you horny bastard.” I laughed, laying my head on Josh’s chest. He chuckled and reached for a blanket laying on top of a box that within an arm’s length and covered both of us. I stared up at the ceiling, finally at ease about moving to California to be with Josh and comfortable in a place that we could call our own.   
  
Out of nowhere, Josh started laughing, almost hysterically.   
“What’s so funny?” I asked, looking at him.  
“It’s just being on the floor right now makes me think about how we were on the floor the first time we ever had sex. And we were both shitfaced. Do you remember?”  
  
I didn’t care that he had a girlfriend. I didn’t care that he was my best friend or that we were practically like family, I wanted - no, I needed this more than anything.   
  
He shot me that fucking smile of his, crawled towards me and started kissing me again. It was all too surreal and I didn’t know if I was dreaming or not when I felt him slide into me. He let out a deep groan and held onto me tight as our bodies became one.  
  
My eyes started stinging as the tears filled my eyes. All the alcohol combined with the pain I was feeling emotionally that day mixed with the fact that I was sleeping with my best friend who had a girlfriend finally took its toll on me. Or maybe I was crying because seeing Josh go in and out of me was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.   
  
“Ha! Yeah, vaguely.” I smirked.  
He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, kissing my forehead. “So, you’re happy here?”  
“Yeah, as long as I’m with you I think I could be happy anywhere.”


	47. Final: You are the best one of the best ones

**Rachael: July 24, 2015**  
  
“Josh, I told you I was going to this conference months ago! I don’t understand why you’re acting like this! It’s my job.” I stood in the kitchen behind the stove, attempting to make dinner and stay calm while Josh lost his cool when I reminded him that I was leaving in a few days.  
  
Since Josh got home from shooting and being gone for a little over a month, he had really been on edge. I don’t know what was up with him, but I tried everything I could to make him feel relaxed. This wasn’t my usual Josh, I had never seen him like this.  
  
He threw the mail he was sifting through down on the counter. “Well maybe you should just quit. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me Rachael. You know, I just fucking got home last week. It’s like I never get to see you. I don’t even know why you’re working in the first place when I can support both of us!” His voice rose as he tried to get his point across.  
  
My face got hot as I felt the blood start to color my cheeks. How dare he not respect what I wanted? I wasn’t going to be some lazy housewife who laid around by the pool all day, not doing a damn thing. “It’s not about the money! It’s about what I want to do with my life. And this is what I want. I got this job because it’s what I’m passionate about. I’m sorry you can’t understand that.”  
  
Heather helped me get an amazing job at this small marketing agency in LA when I moved and going to this conference was really important to my career, I wasn’t going to throw it out the window because Josh was being selfish. He muttered something else under his breath but I didn’t listen to him. I was over this argument. I took the pot of rice I had on the stove and dumped it into the trash and locked myself in the bedroom for the rest of the night, leaving him to fend for himself.  
  
 **Josh: July 25, 2015**  
  
I woke up on the couch around 5am, unable to sleep after Rachael and I fought. I was an asshole and today was supposed to be perfect. It was our 1 year anniversary and I fucked it up already. I had to make things right and somehow manage to fix this so I broke the lock on the bedroom door and crouched beside the bed. Rachael was sound asleep and looked so perfect. I could have kicked myself for upsetting her.  
  
“Rach? Rachael, wake up.” I lightly shook her shoulder and she slowly blinked her eyes open and just looked at me, pursing her lips. “I’m so sorry baby.” I whispered, leaning my head against hers and grabbing her hand. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset at you, its not your fault. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and I just wanted us to spend some time together before I go to Atlanta in a couple weeks.”  
  
She breathed in deep and adjusted her head on the pillow. Her face started to soften and she brushed my cheek. “I just want you to understand that there’s things I have to do for myself. I’ll only be gone for 4 days, then we can spend as much time as we can together, I promise.” She said softly.  
  
“I know. I understand. And I’ll support whatever you want to do, and I’ll try not to be a giant asshole.”  
She smiled and lifted the sheet back, letting me climb in next to her. “Thank you. I don’t want to fight with you today, so can we just forget it?”  
“Deal.” I kissed the side of her head and a lump began forming in my throat, the same one I had been feeling the last week since I got home. “I have a surprise for you and it’s kind of short notice, but you need to pack an overnight bag.”  
  
“Why? Where are we going?” She asked, looking up at me.  
“Cincinnati.” I replied.  
“Seriously?” She sounded less than thrilled.  
“Trust me, it’s a nice surprise, but we have to go there to get it.”  
“Alright, I guess I’ll trust you. When do we leave? And what are we doing with the beasts?”  
“Our plane leaves at 8 and Andre is coming over to watch the dogs. We’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry.”  
  
  
I texted Connor when we landed in Cincinnati but told him not to tell anyone we were in town. I didn’t want everyone getting all excited that we were here. Rachael was confused when I rented a car since usually someone comes to pick us up, but I had no plans of visiting anyone during this trip. This time it was just us. We left the airport and made our way to downtown Cincinnati, where we were staying for the night.  
  
“Oh my God, the Cincinnatian? Josh, this is too much.” She was awe as we pulled up to the hotel’s front door.  
“Nah, it’s the best. Would you rather stay at the Hutcherson Inn?”  
“No. This is great. Sorry. I’m not really used to this fancy-schmancy stuff. I feel bad because what I got you isn’t as lavish as this.”  
“Rach, just having you is enough. So stop it. I love you and you’re worth all of this, ok?” I squeezed her hand before we got out of the car.  
  
Connor texted me and said he was in the parking lot with a special delivery as we were making our way to the elevator after checking in. “Oh, babe, can you take the stuff to the room? My manager says he wants me to call him.” I lied.  
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She gave me a kiss and took our stuff upstairs while I went outside to meet Connor.  
  
 **Rachael: July 25, 2015**  
  
I opened the door to the room and wheeled our suitcase in behind me and almost dropped everything in my hands when I saw what was sitting on the bed. A bouquet of fresh white daisies, a box of my favorite junk food, a 6 pack of my favorite Arnold Palmer iced tea and a plethora of Hanson memorabilia - t-shirts, CDs, a DVD version of Tulsa, Tokyo and the Middle of Nowhere and a really old poster that I used to have hanging in my bedroom as a kid.  
  
“Oh my God. What the fuck is he doing?” I whispered to myself, running my hands over everything. I was starving, so I opened up a Snicker’s bar and walked onto the balcony to check out the view of the city. I heard the door open a few minutes later and I went inside to meet Josh. He strolled in with a huge smirk on his face and had his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts.  
  
“How did you do all this?” I asked, throwing my arms around his neck.  
“I only had to make a phone call to get all the stuff in here. And your dad dropped off the Hanson poster. You’ll want to bring that with you tonight so they can sign it when we go see them.”  
“What?” I fell back onto the bed and grabbed my chest. Sure, I was 29 years old but I felt like I was 13 again.  
  
“I know you’re still madly in love with them and they owed me a favor, so they said we can come watch on the side of the stage tonight.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.  
“Get completely out of here!” I stood up and beat down on his chest before he wrapped his arm around me and gave me a kiss.  
“It’s really no big deal baby. I just wanted to do something special for you for our anniversary. And I’ve been a jerk the last week.”  
I shook my head in disbelief at him. “I might be the luckiest girl on the planet. I love you. This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you so much.”  
  
 **Josh: July 25, 2015**  
  
I couldn’t help but stare at Rachael while we stood on the side of the stage and watched the band perform after we met up with them backstage. Her eyes lit up as soon as they started playing a song she knew and she’d sing along with almost all of them. She’d look over at me and smile or grab my hand and squeeze it tight before looking back at the stage.  
  
I don’t know what I did to deserve this woman, but angels must have been looking down on me the day she came into my life. I thought as I watched her sing and clap during MMMBop. She nudged me with her shoulder when she caught me staring at her. “Come on Josh you know you know the words!” She hollered and I nodded in agreement and stood behind her and put my arms around her waist.  
  
As MMMBop was coming to an end, I felt the lump in my throat again because I was going to use this moment to give Rachael her real surprise, but I still didn’t know if this was the right place for it. I had asked the guys before we even got to Cincinnati if they could play a little something special for us before the night ended.  
Rachael: July 25, 2015  
  
I felt faint as Taylor from the stage spoke into the microphone at the audience. “Ok guys, before we go, we’re doing one more song for our good friend Josh and his girlfriend Rachael who are here with us tonight.” Taylor looked over at us along with Isaac and Zac and waved. “Happy anniversary guys.” I looked at Josh who had a big fat grin on his face and I didn’t think my heart could race any faster when I heard the beginning of Stolen being played on stage.   _Holy shit is he about to propose? Of course! Why else would he have my favorite band play our song? Oh God!_  
  
 **We watch the season pull up its own stakes**  
 **And catch the last weekend of the last week**  
 **Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,**  
 **Another sun soaked season fades away**  
  
 **You have stolen my heart**  
 **You have stolen my heart**  
  
Josh grabbed my hand and kissed me softly on the cheek. _This is it. I know it! He’s gonna do it now! Get ready Rach._  
  
 **I watch you spin around in your highest heels**  
 **You are the best one, of the best ones**  
 **We all look like we feel**  
  
 **You have stolen my**  
 **You have stolen my**  
 **You have stolen my**  
 **You have stolen my heart**  
  
I kept watching Josh, waiting for his opportune moment to do it, waiting for him to kneel to the floor, but it never came. He stood there holding onto my hand and when the song finished, he pulled me in close and kissed me. “Happy anniversary, I love you so much Rachael.”  
Ok. So I guess he’s not doing it tonight. This is still the best night of my life.  “I love you too Josh. Thank you for this, it means so much to me.”  
  
***************  
  
“Where are we going now?” I asked, looking at Josh who had his eyes focused on the road. He got the crazy idea to take a drive to Union when we got back to the hotel. It was nearly midnight, I don’t know why he’d be taking me there so late. When he pulled into the parking lot of my high school and parked the car, I was completely dumbfounded.  
“What are we doing here Josh?” I asked, watching him pull a piece of fabric out of his jacket pocket.  
“I have to blindfold you now.” He said, gathering it in his hands.  
“Seriously?”  
“Just trust me.” He chuckled. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting him tie the fabric around my head. The suspense was killing me as we continued driving. The car finally pulled into what I’m assuming was a neighborhood, then I felt a rocky surface under the tires before we came to a stop.  
  
“Stay here.” Josh said as he turned the car off. I did as he said and waited for his next move.I heard his door shut, followed by his footsteps as he came around to my side and opened my door. Josh grabbed one of my hands and guided me out of the car and I started tugging at the blindfold, but he stopped me. “Don’t take that off yet or I’ll kill you.”  
“Is this what you’re here to do Josh? Drive me out to some remote location, kill me and bury my body?”  
  
“No I like you too much to do that. Come on.” He lead me over the rocks, very slowly until I felt grass under my feet. “Good thing you didn’t wear heels.” He chuckled to himself. He lead me down a small hill and as I heard the sound of the rushing water getting closer, I knew exactly where we were - the bridge.  
  
He let go of my hands and I felt unsteady at first, not having anything to hold onto. “Don’t move or open your eyes.” As he removed the blindfold, I kept my eyes shut. “I just need you to listen to me now.”  
“Oh god Josh what are you doing? Are you sure you’re not gonna tie cinder blocks to my ankles and make me swim with the fishes?”  
  
“I’m not going to kill you Rachael, I promise.” I felt him step close to me as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed back some hair off my neck. His lips grazed my collarbone and the crook of my neck, then my earlobe. “How would I marry you if I did that?” He whispered so matter-of-factly against my ear.  
  
My eyes shot open as if I had just heard a gunshot and I could focus on nothing else but Josh standing in front of me. “What?” I was shaking now and had to hold onto his shoulders for stability.  
  
He stepped back, smiling so confidently like he had done this a thousand times before and grabbed both of my hands. “I had this whole speech planned out and I was going to do this earlier but my head is a fucking mess so I’m just gonna wing it.”  
“Okay.” I laughed with tears spilling onto my cheeks and followed the direction of his eyes as they fell to his feet.  
  
“I know you said we should wait, but sometimes I just don’t like listening to you.” He took my left hand in both of his hands.  
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be on your knee?”I blurted, nervously wiping my face.  
“Oh, yeah. Oops. Bear with me. I’ve only done this once before, and ripped my pants in the process.”  
  
I chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his pants and fished out a black velvet box and knelt down on the ground in front of me. He grabbed my hand again and cleared his throat. “Ok, let’s try this again the right way.” He took in a deep breath and looked up at me.  
  
“Rachael Elizabeth Wallace,” He stressed my middle name to stretch the formality of the situation. “I’ve spent so many years dying for you to see me as more than just that kid down the street. And there were a million times that I thought you’d never see me the way I always saw you. But when I had enough torturing myself and told you how I felt about you, hearing you say you felt the same way actually turned my world upside down. I was the happiest guy in the world.”  
  
He let go of my hand briefly to open the ring box. “And now the only thing that would make me even happier is if you said yes to spending the rest of your life with me.” He looked up at me as if I was about to punch him in the face. “How was that?”  
  
“Did you practice that a couple of times?” I asked shakily.  
“Yeah, a few, mostly in front of Driver and Cato and they seemed like it.” He took the beautiful cushion-cut diamond ring out of the box and held it between his thumb and forefinger. “Can I put this on you now?”  
  
“Yes, of course!” I cried, trying to hold my hand steady as he slipped the ring on my finger. Josh’s eyes filled with tears as he leaped to his feet and threw his arms around me. I crashed my lips onto his and fisted my hands through the hair on the back of his head and felt his hold on me tighten. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. “Are you sure you can handle me for the rest of your life?”  
I shrugged and kissed him again. “I’ve lasted this long Josh, I suppose I can put up with you for another 60 years.”


	48. Epilogue: She knows pancakes are in her near future

**Josh: February 7, 2016**  
  
“Honey, I’m sure you look beautiful, will you please open the door and let me in?” I yelled with my head leaning up against the door frame outside our bedroom. I could hear her in there crying and could just imagine her sitting on the edge of the bed, blotting her face so her makeup wouldn’t smear. She spent all afternoon getting ready for the SAGs tonight and was in a relatively good mood until it came time for her to put her dress on and then she lost it. Another mood swing hit her and she told me to get out.   
  
“No, I-I just need a couple minutes, I’ll be out soon, really I’m ok. Just wait for me downstairs.” She sniffled and yelled back through the door.  
  
I closed my eyes and just wished she’d let me be there for her. I tried to support her the best way I could, but as stubborn as she was already, combined with the hormones raging through her pregnant body, she was absolutely impossible. Just 4 more months, Josh, you can do this.   
  
My phone buzzed for a text message, jarring my eyes to shoot open. It was my mom. She had been checking up on us a lot since the wedding. I wasn’t surprised, given the fact that Rachael got pregnant only a couple weeks after we got married and she always felt the need to see how Rachael was feeling. Have fun at the SAGs tonight! We’ll be watching! And don’t keep Rachael out too late. Love you both!  
  
When I whistled for the dogs to follow me downstairs, Cato got up and stretched his back before turning around a few times and laying in the same position he was in. Driver just looked at me and yawned, then rested his head on his paws before going back to sleep.  
  
“What am I chopped liver?” I asked them, holding my arms out to the side. I rolled my eyes and sighed before turning towards the stairs. I stopped mid-step and looked back at them. Both looked up at me, telling me they weren’t getting up until she came out. They were like her protectors. I could only imagine what they were going to do once the baby came.  
  
I dug my phone out of the pocket of my pants as I descended down the stairs when I heard it go off again. This time it was Joanie calling.  
“Yeah, Joanie, what’s up?”  
“Are you making your way over here? I have a lot of press who want to interview you.”  
“Yeah, we’ll be leaving the house soon. Rachael isn’t finished getting ready yet. She’s a little upset about putting her dress on with her quote, un-quote huge belly. It’s only a little bump. I don’t get it.” I scoffed.  
  
Joanie was surprisingly sympathetic to Rachael’s emotional state, being a mom herself. “It’s the hormones, trust me. She’ll get over it in no time.”  
“Yeah, I hope so.” I changed the subject. “So, what media people do you have lined up for interviews tonight?” I leaned against the wall in the hallway that lead from the front door to the kitchen and stared at the picture of Rachael and I that hung on the wall that was taken on our wedding day.  
  
 **Rachael: September 12, 2015**  
  
“Ok guys, just pretend I’m not even here.” The photographer said, shooting every second she could. Once the ceremony ended, we were escorted inside Pinecroft Mansion to wait for our guests to line up for the receiving line. This would be the only few moments we’d have to ourselves until after the reception, and I wanted it to last for as long as possible.  
  
“I don’t know what to do right now!” I nervously whispered to Josh, not wanting the photographer to feel uncomfortable, but she didn’t stop shooting us. I just wanted to lunge myself at Josh. The second I laid eyes on him when I walked down the aisle, I swear my heart stopped.  
  
“Just come here, Mrs. Hutcherson.” He smiled, leaning up against the wall and grabbing my waist to pull me in close.   
I giggled as I almost lost my balance and had to place my hands up on the wall behind Josh so I wouldn’t fall. I heard the clicks of the camera but ignored them as Josh’s lips met mine instantly. He took his hands off my waist and crept them up to my back before holding onto both sides of my face as we continued kissing.   
  
We broke apart when Andre opened the front door to the house and told us everyone was ready whenever we were. I let out a sigh of disappointment and stepped away from Josh before bending down to pick my bouquet off the floor. “Well that was short lived.” I huffed, watching the photographer walk out the door to take her position outside. I reached for Josh’s hand and smiled at him still leaning up against the wall. “Come on hubby!”   
  
Josh grabbed my hand, but pulled me back to him for one more deep long kiss. It was one of the few kisses we shared that day that no one got to see. “You just wait until we get to the hotel later, I’m going to ruin you.” He whispered to me and took my hand to lead me outside.  
  
 **Josh: February 7, 2016**  
  
Joanie rifled through her list of press people as I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Then I heard the dogs get up and Driver barked once before I heard Rachael’s soft voice from the top of the stairs calming him down.   
  
I stood up and made my way to the bottom of the stairs and studied my wife’s face. It was a little tear-stained, but she smiled at me, then patted her leg as the dogs followed her down the steps. “Joanie, we’re leaving now. See you soon.” I cut her off and hung the phone up. “Wow, Rach.” I breathed, watching her walk towards me with her hand over her belly.   
  
“Ok be honest how fat do I look in this?" She asked, smoothing her hand over her short white dress.  
  
I chuckled and held my hand out for her. “You look absolutely stunning baby.” I pulled her into me and rubbed her bare shoulders. They were cold, so I went to the closet to get her coat. She laughed at me when I held it out for her.   
  
“Josh, it’s 67 degrees out, I think I’ll be ok. Besides, I’m actually pretty hot right now.”  
“I just want you to be comfortable. I’ll bring it just incase you get cold later.”  
“You’re sweet.” She smiled, brushing my cheek as she walked past me and picked up her clutch from the table in the living room.  
  
  
Later into the night, after making our way down the red carpet and being interviewed about almost nothing besides our baby news, I was standing backstage with Mark Whalberg, getting prepped to present an award. My phone buzzed in my pocket for a text message and I saw that it was Rachael. I chuckled when I saw what she wrote.  
  
The baby wants pancakes after this is over.   
Good luck out there daddy! <3  
  
“Oh man this woman and her cravings.” I laughed, showing Mark my phone.  
He laughed in return and adjusted his tie in the mirror. “Uh huh, I know how that is. When my wife was was pregnant with our first daughter, she made me go out in the middle of the night because she wanted biscuits from KFC, probably for two weeks straight.” He laughed to himself. “I feel your pain, man. Hey, have the mood swings stopped yet?”  
  
“Just barely. They’re not as bad as they were at first, but yesterday, she freaked out on me because I couldn’t find the screwdriver for the changing table I was putting together. Then she just sat in the middle of the nursery crying and didn’t want me to touch her.” He nodded, understanding. “I thought PMS was bad, damn.”  
  
“It should stop soon. Boy or girl?”  
I smiled and fished out my wallet and took out the sonogram photo I kept with me. “A girl.” I handed him the picture.  
“Hey, congratulations. She’ll be a handful, let me tell you. You won’t be able to say no to her. I have four girls and I spoil the living hell out of all of them.”  
“Yeah I imagine I’ll do the same. I spoil my wife enough as it is.” I said, putting my wallet back in my pocket. The announcer started speaking, which was our cue to start walking to the stage. I shook Mark’s hand before we climbed the stairs and made our way to the podium.   
  
I looked out at the crowd as Mark was speaking his part and focused on our table. Rachael was wiping her eyes with one hand and holding her belly with the other. She was crying and the people who were sitting with us must have asked if she was ok because she nodded and laughed, then rubbed her stomach  before saying something to them. Then she glanced at me, then smiled and waved. Mark nudged me when it was my turn to look into the teleprompter to say my part of the awards presentation. I’m glad he was there or else I wouldn't have been able to focus.  
  
After handing the award out and posing for some photos with the winner, I got pulled in for a few more interviews with some press people about a new project I’d be working on in the spring. And of course there were more baby questions. Once I was finished, I rushed back to the table and took my seat next to Rachael. She grabbed my hand and kissed me on the cheek. “You did great baby!”  
  
“Thank you.” I squeezed her hand. “We’ll leave as soon as the next award is given out, ok? So we can get you your pancakes.”  
“Oh thank God I’m starving!” She grinned.   
  
The next presenters came out and did their funny quip at the podium. Then Rachael gasped and grabbed my arm and I think I turned as white as a ghost thinking something was wrong. She was holding onto her stomach and looking down at it. A few people surrounding us looked to see what was going on.  
  
“Oh my god, babe, what’s wrong?” I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with a huge smile on her face and grabbed my hand, putting it on her belly.   
  
“She did it again! She kicked me! She did it for the first time when you were on stage! She might do it again.” I sat there for a moment and held my hand still. Then I felt something move. Like a little pulse or something, pushing against Rachael’s inside. It happened so quickly, I didn’t know if it was what I was supposed to be feeling, but judging by Rachael’s smile widening, I knew that was it.  
  
It was the most wonderful feeling I had ever felt in my life. More wonderful than when Rachael told me she loved me for the first time, or our first kiss, or the first time I realized I had feelings for her, or when she said yes after I proposed, or even our wedding day. This topped all of that.  
  
I couldn’t help but shed a few tears with my forehead placed against my wife’s. Her hand brushed my cheek and she smiled at me. Seeing the love in her eyes for our soon to be family made me the happiest man in the entire world.   
  
“Aww baby don’t cry!” She wiped my face. “Mr. Sensitivity over here.” She laughed. “She’s kicking because she knows pancakes are in her near future and she just can’t help herself.”   
“Oh yes, of course, your beloved pancakes, how could I forget! Come on mommy.” I stood up and grabbed her hand and led her outside. If our daughter was going to be anything like her mother, I’d definitely have my hands full for a long long time.


	49. Epilogue part 2: You looked at me and I was done

**Rachael: September 20, 2020**  
  
Sitting back on my hands, I dug my toes into the sand and let the fading California sun warm my face. I took a deep breath and inhaled the ocean breeze, thankful to get away from the real world for just a little while. This time belonged only to us. Just a couple hours every week to get away from housework, Josh’s hectic schedule, my long meetings at the office, pickups and dropoffs at preschool, boo-boos and magic marker stains on the carpet.  
  
Running my fingers over the initials on my left ankle, I smiled when I remembered the day I got them put on me. It was only a few months after she was born. Josh wanted another tattoo so I offered to go with him for support and ended up walking out with some ink of my own. We both got the letters AH. Abigail Hutcherson, Abby for short. It’s amazing how fast 4 years can fly by. I spent a few minutes watching her play with her dad in the sand only a couple hundred feet away and couldn’t picture my life being any different.  
  
Abby held up a seashell that she dug out of the ground and showed it to me. “Look, Mommy!” She shouted before handing it to Josh. I loved how he was with her, so attentive and patient; she looked at him like he was the only man she’d ever truly love. She and I had that in common.   
  
“That’s pretty, honey!” I hollered back and looked at Josh who had a big grin on his face when he looked over at me. He said something to Abby before standing up to brush off his sand covered knees. “I’ll be right back munchkin,” he said to her and ran towards me.   
  
“Here I got you a present.” He handed me the shell and sat down next to me and kissed the side of my head.   
  
“Thank you, Daddy,” I smiled, grabbing his hand and interlocking our fingers. “What time is Andre coming to pick her up?”   
  
“He told me around 6.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. “Oh, we better get going soon.”   
  
“Daddy! Uncle Andre is coming?” Abby came running up to us and crashed onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her little body and wiped some of the sand off her face.   
  
“Yeah, he’s taking you to the circus, remember?” I told her.  
  
“Oh yeah!” She held her hand up to her chin like Josh does when he’s thinking of something. “But Mommy, Uncle Andre said he’s scared of clowns!”  
  
Josh and I both chuckled at our daughter’s ability to absorb secrets like that. “He is? Well, I guess he loves you so much that he’s willing to risk his fear just for you! You make sure you protect him, ok?” Josh said, standing up and picking Abby up in his arms.   
  
It made my heart skip a beat when he held her over his head and kissed the tip of her nose. Their bond was inseparable. She giggled uncontrollably and nuzzled her face against his, laughing even harder when she felt the tickle of the little bit of stubble on his face.   
  
“Come on you, we have to get you ready for your date.” I stood up and tickled her bare foot.  
  
“You’re not coming, Mommy?” She looked sad for a moment so I held my arms out for her and Josh handed her to me before running to grab her sand pail and bag of toys.   
  
"No, me and your dad have our own date tonight,” I whispered to her.  
  
“Daddy has to go away tomorrow.” She frowned and watched him walk back towards us. She was becoming old enough to understand that Josh wasn’t home a lot when he was shooting movies. I explained to her that he wasn’t going away because he wanted to, but it was part of his job. The first time she was old enough to realize he had to leave for a couple weeks, it absolutely broke her heart and the first couple days with him gone were really hard for her. She’d usually sleep in our bed with me when he was gone, which was comforting to both of us.  
  
But she was getting used to it, having him home for a while then having to say goodbye. She knew the routine pretty well. Help Daddy pack, make him kiss the dogs goodbye, carry his stuff out to the car, drive him to the airport, say goodbye, hide when Mommy and Daddy kiss, call him 15 minutes later to make sure he got to his gate. I was just thankful that whenever he was home. He devoted all his time to the two of us when he could so she’d always remember how lucky she was to have such a wonderful dad.  
  
In the Jeep on the way home, Abby sat in the back playing with her dolls. Josh took my hand from across the center console and I leaned my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes. I still had so much to do before he had to be at the airport early the next morning. Two more loads of laundry, a dishwasher full of dishes to put away, Driver needed a bath. I opened my eyes and was about to ask Josh something about his flight schedule but stopped when I heard the beginning of a song that still gave me butterflies. Josh’s grip on my hand tightened because he remembered that night too.  
  
 _He didn’t answer and started playing an old familiar song that I hadn’t heard in a while. I turned around with our glasses and felt weak again when I saw him sitting on the edge of a chair, fingering the strings with the guitar sitting on his lap._  
  
 _"To this day when I hear that song. I see you standin there on that lawn. Discount shades, store bought tan. Flip flops and cut-off jeans. Somewhere between that setting sun. I'm on fire and born to run.”_  
  
 _He looked up at me and smiled and I could have fainted right there in my kitchen._  
  
 _“You looked at me and I was done. And we're, we're just getting started. I was singin' to you, you were singin' to me. I was so alive, never been more free. Fired up my daddy's lighter and we sang ooohh.”_   
  
He sang along with the lyrics and I glanced back at Abby in the back seat who was watching him as he drove and sang. “Daddy, you told Ryan Seeschest that you don’t sing.”   
  
I laughed so hard I almost lost my breath. Josh smiled back at her through his rearview mirror. “I know. I only sing to you and Mommy.” He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips.  
  
We arrived home 20 minutes later as Andre was pulling into our driveway. He hopped out of the car when we came to a stop and opened the back door. “Peanut!!!” He screamed, overjoyed to see her.   
  
“Uncle Andre!!!” She clapped her hands together in excitement.  
  
“What’s up, angel face? You ready for the circus?” He unbuckled her from her car seat and pulled her out, throwing her over his shoulder and started walking towards the front door. Josh put his arm around me as we followed them and whispered, “Just stay away from the clowns.”   
  
When we were all inside, Josh took Abby upstairs to get cleaned up and changed. Andre unexpectedly pulled me in for a hug when I started putting dishes away. “What was that for?”  
  
“I know, honey. I could tell as soon as I saw you.” He squeezed me tight. “I’m so excited for you.”  
  
“Shh, don’t say a word to anyone. I just found out a couple days ago.”   
  
“You didn’t tell Josh yet?”  
  
I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him so soon before he was leaving to shoot for a couple months. I knew he’d either find some way to get out of it or call home non stop to see if I’d need anything. There isn’t much a pregnant woman needs in the first trimester other than ginger ale and saltine crackers. I’d get along fine. Then again, if I didn’t tell him, I knew he’d be upset with me for keeping it a secret.  
  
“You have to tell him. There’s only so long you can go before he finds out.”  
  
“I will, tonight, I’ll tell him. But you know how he gets and he’ll be so concentrated on how I’m doing he won’t be able to focus on filming.”  
  
“He’s your husband, Rach, you’ve had this conversation once before. He’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. I’ll be here if you need me while he’s gone, ok?”  
  
I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek before returning to the dishwasher. “I love you, Andre.”  
  
He smiled and slung Abby’s overnight bag over his shoulder. “I know, I love you too.”  
  
“So you’re sure it’s ok that she spends the night?”  
  
“Seriously, stop asking. I love having her. Plus you two lovebirds have a lot to talk about now.”   
  
Josh came walking down the stairs holding Abby’s sleeping bag, and she wasn’t too far behind, carrying her pillow.  
  
“Have to talk about what?” He asked, setting the sleeping bag down in front of the door.   
  
“Nothing babe. Does Abby have her toothbrush in that bag?”  
  
“Yeah, I put it in there this morning. Are you ready princess?” He asked Abby who was practically dragging Andre out the door. I wiped my hands on my shorts and followed them all outside.   
  
“Bye, Mommy!” She hugged my leg then went to Josh who picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Be a good girl for Andre, ok? And no cotton candy after 8, understand?” Josh warned them both. He was so sexy when he was in dad mode.   
  
We watched Andre get Abby settled in the car and waved as he backed out of the driveway. Josh turned to me once they were gone and pushed my hair back behind my shoulders and wrapped his arms around my waist. We stood there for a few minutes holding onto each other. I didn’t want to let go. As hard as it was for Abby to be away from Josh, it was also pretty awful for me, and I’ve had more experience saying goodbye to him than she has.    
  
He pulled away and kissed me a few times. “What’s the plan for the night, Hutcherson?”  
  
“Maybe we can just stay in tonight. Go in the hot tub then put in an old movie and curl up on the couch?”  
  
“Sounds perfect. I’ll grab a bottle of wine from the cellar and meet you out back.” He pulled me inside and kissed my hands before letting go to open the door to the basement.   
  
“Uh, actually I need to pass on the wine. For like the next 9 months or so.” I looked up at him and rubbed my stomach, raising my eyebrows and biting my lower lip.   
  
“Really? Rachael, you’re pregnant? Oh my god! Baby come here!” He pulled me in close and squeezed me gently.   
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I just found out a few days ago and I know you’re leaving. I didn’t want you to be preoccupied with this.”  
  
“Rach, you’re my family, this doesn’t get in the way of anything honey.” He rubbed my back as he rocked me back and forth. “My god, another baby.” He whispered into the air. “I’m so happy!” He exclaimed. “I love you so much!”   
  
“I love you too. And don’t worry about me when you’re gone, ok? I have Andre and Abby if I need anything.”  
  
“Oh man, Abby’s gonna be so excited to find out. If anything comes up though you call me and I’m on the next flight home.”  
  
“You know I will, baby. Now let’s go in the hot tub.” I dragged him outside and we both stripped down next to nothing and enjoyed a quiet night of just Mommy and Daddy time. I knew that we wouldn’t be able to have too many more of these once we had 2 kids running around the house.


End file.
